Gianni Schicchi

Suor Angelica

Giacomo Puccini

February 25, 2006 7:30 pmMarch 3, 2006 7:30 pmMarch 5, 2006 2:30 pm

Direction

Valéry Ryvkin

Linda Brovsky

Jean-François Revon

Mark Somerfield

Artists

David Small

Jessica Rivera

Cindy Sadler

J. Raymond Meyers

Julia Frenkel

Matthew Treviño

Sara Campbell

John Sauvey

Paul Sahuc

Christopher Carroll

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Location

Lobero Theatre33 E Canon Perdido StSanta Barbara, CA 93101

Cast & Credits

Direction

Conductor:

Stage Director:

Set Design:

Lighting Design:

Artists

Gianni Schicchi:

David Small

Lauretta:

Jessica Rivera

Rinuccio:

Nathan Stark

Praised by the Washington Post as having a voice of “unearthly power,” The Houston Press as being a “blow away singer,” and the San Jose Mercury News as a “natural comic actor,” award winning bass-baritone, Nathan Stark, has performed on opera, concert and recital stages throughout United States, Europe and China.

Hailing from Hughson, California, Mr. Stark has performed over 50 professional roles with opera houses throughout North America, including the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera and Opera San Jose, among others. Some of his noted roles have included Mustafà in L’Italiana in Algeri, both Don Basilio and Don Bartolo in il Barbiere di Siviglia, both Leporello and il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, both Monterone and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Colline in La Boheme, Fernando in Il Trovatore, Banco in Macbeth and Bottom in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Equally comfortable on the concert stage, he has performed as a soloist with leading ensembles including Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and the Holland Symphony Orchestra.

During the 2020-2021 season, Mr. Stark became an artist in residence with Opera San Jose, writing and constructing online music programs and fundraisers for the company during the height of Covid-19 pandemic. He performed the roles of Leporello in Don Giovanni in a return with Dayton Opera, Fasolt in Das Rheingold in a return with Opera Santa Barbara, Simone in Gianni Schicchi in a return with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and appeared in recital with Opera Modesto in a digital performance. Cancellations included company returns to the Valdosta Symphony Orchestras as the bass soloist in The Defiant Requiem, Tulsa Opera as Henry Moser in Emmeline and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Dr. Podsnap for the world premiere of Todias Picker’s Awakenings. In the 2021-2022 season, Mr. Stark is scheduled to make a company debut as Nerbulone in Eliogabalo with West Edge Opera and returns to Opera San Jose as the Sorcerer in Dido and Aeneas and Tulsa Opera as Henry Moser in Emmeline.

Mr. Stark has given recitals throughout the United States and Germany, concerts at the Great Wall of China, the U.S. Colombian Embassy, U.S. French Embassy, the U.S. Austrian Embassy and the Washington National Cathedral. In 2005 he was chosen to be the featured soloist forthe nationally televised opening ceremonies of the Air Force One exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Library for former First Ladies, Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan, members of the United States Senate and Congress, and for, then President of the United States, George W. Bush.

Mr. Stark has given recitals throughout the United States and Germany, concerts at the Great Wall of China, the U.S. Colo Mr. Stark has been a recipient of several vocal awards including the 2010 Fort Worth Opera Marguerite McCammon Competition, the Opera Columbus Vocal Competition, the Brentwood Artist of Tomorrow Competition, the Sun Valley Opera Competition, Westwood Vocal Competition, Burbank Aria Competition, first place winner of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music’s Corbett Scholarship Opera Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Pasadena Opera Guild Competition, the Opera Buffs Competition, first place winner of the Classical Singers Association Vocal Competition in Los Angeles, and San Diego district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Vocal Competition. He holds degrees in vocal & opera performance from Modesto Junior College (A.A. and Theater Arts Certificate), California State University, Long Beach (B.M. & M.M.) and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (A.D.) His voice teachers have included Dr. Lewis Woodward, Dr. Cherrie Llewellyn, Ms. Shigemi Matsumoto, Ms. Marilyn Horne and Mr. Kenneth Shaw.

Julie Davies

Julie Davies, soprano, praised for her “colorfully focused and powerful sound” and facility of “glimmering coloratura,” enjoys an active stage career, performing with international orchestras and opera companies. Ms. Davies has been featured in Darmstadt’s new productions of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman (all four ladies) where she was acclaimed for having “demonstrated astounding flexibility,” Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci (Nedda), and Donizetti’s Don Pasquale (Norina) and Wagners Die Walküre (Gerhilde). Ms. Davies is specifically celebrated for her performances of the title roles in Lucia di Lammermoor and La sonnambula.

Ms. Davies will perform the role of Gerhilde in a new production of Wagner’s Die Walküre in Madrid’s Teatro Real in the 2019–20 season. In March 2019, Ms. Davies sang Verdi’s Requiem with Southwest Florida Symphony. In 2018, Ms. Davies sang Contessa in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in Santa Barbara, California to great acclaim: “Julie Davies as Countess Almaviva wowed audiences in her spectacular Act III aria ‘Dove sono,’ eliciting long applause.” In 2017, Ms. Davies championed Strauss’ beautiful vocal setting of Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) with the University of Oklahoma Orchestra. In addition, in 2017 Ms. Davies was one of two singers chosen by the iconic mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne to dedicate her Museum, opened in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Ms. Davies performed Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Opéra National de Paris (2015), had a very successful debut in Rio de Janeiro as Marzelline in Beethoven‘s Fidelio and made her debut as the Junges Mädchen in the co-production of Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron (released on film and televised world-wide in 2015) with Paris and Madrid Operas (2016).

A frequent concert singer, some of Ms. Davies' credits include Poulenc's Gloria, Stravinsky's Pulcinella, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Bernstein's Jeremiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah and Psalm 115, Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem, Mozart's Vesperae de Confessore and Requiem and Beethoven's Choral Fantasia.

Ms. Davies has won several competitions: Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, First in the Naftzger Young Artists Competition, Second in the highly esteemed Jensen Foundation Competition, and Finalist in the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition. Ms. Davies has sung in masterclasses with Marilyn Horne, Martina Arroyo, Frederica von Stade, and Hoerst Guenter.

Alexandra Loutsion

Hailed as "fearless" (Opera News) and “masterful” (Tulsa World) with a “powerful…and gorgeous voice" (MinnPost), Alexandra Loutsion continues to be recognized for her passionate performances and vocal versatility as a rising star on the operatic stage. In the 2021-2022 season, she makes her debut with Pittsburgh Festival Opera kicking off their solo recital series Legends in the Limelight: Pittsburgh Festival Opera Live at Carnegie Music Hall, returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago covering Sondra Radvanovsky as Lady Macbeth in their new production of Verdi’s Macbeth, and debuts with Austin Opera singing Leonore in Fidelio: A Celebratory Gala Production. She makes her Dallas Opera debut singing excerpts from Macbeth and Aida in their Opera’s Greatest Hits! concert, and debuts in the title role of Salome at the Fisher Center at Bard College. Alexandra returns to the University of Southern California (her alma mater) for a short coaching residency and joins the USC Symphony to sing Strauss’ Four Last Songs (Postponed due to COVID-19). She closes the season in her company and role debut with the Glimmerglass Festival singing Mother Abbess in Rogers & Hammerstein’s "The Sound of Music. Ms. Loutsion’s 2020-2021 season included a surprise debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago when she went on as Brünnhilde in Yuval Sharon’s Twilight: Gods, a reinterpretation of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. She also made her debut with Chicago Opera Theater singing the leading role of Kayla in Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents, and created an online recital series entitled Real Opera Wives of Chicago with mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen presented by New York’s Opera on Tap.

Puccini has become a staple of Ms. Loutsion’s repertoire. In addition to singing Turandot with Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, and New Orleans Opera , she has also brought her Tosca to Palm Beach Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Central City Opera, and her Cio-Cio San/Madama Butterfly to Palm Beach Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera on the James. Other role highlights include the Foreign Princess/Rusalka with Arizona Opera, Florencia/Florencia en el Amazonas with Arizona Opera, Donna Anna/Don Giovanni with North Carolina Opera, Lady Macbeth/Macbeth with Raylynmor Opera, Gertrude/Hansel and Gretel with Dayton Opera, and the leading role of Isabella in Wagner's Das Liebesverbot as part of the Ring Festival LA. She also covered the Lady-in-Waiting in Verdi’s Macbeth with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti.

Ms. Loutsion spent two summers as an Apprentice Artist with the Santa Fe Opera, most recently to cover Leonore/Fidelio. She also covered Tosca and the leading role of Anna in Rossini’s Maometto II. Ms. Loutsion also spent two seasons as a Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera where she was seen as Armida/Rinaldo and Gertrude and the Witch/Hänsel und Gretel, among others. As an Apprentice Artist with Central City Opera, she was heard as Cio-Cio San/Madama Butterfly and as Melissa in Handel's Amadigi di Gaula.

Ms. Loutsion recently represented the United States as a quarterfinalist in the Francisco Viñas International Singing Contest in Barcelona, Spain. She was a winner of the Metropolitan National Council District Auditions and the Long Beach Mozart Competition, as well as a finalist in the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition, McCammon Voice Competition, and Dallas Opera Competition. She is the recipient of the Catherine Filene Shouse Education Fund Career Grant from Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe Opera’s Donald Gramm Memorial Award and Anna Case MacKay Award, the Shoshana Foundation Richard F. Gold Career Grant, the Central City Opera John Moriarty Award, and the Aspen Music Festival New Horizon Fellowship. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College. Ms. Loutsion was also recently awarded a place in the Greek America Foundation's "Forty under 40" Class of 2018, which celebrates the professional excellence and philanthropic endeavors of North Americans of Greek descent

Richard Gammon

Richard Gammon (he/him), a Filipino American stage director, directed the double bill of Gluck’s L’île de Merlin and Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis with Wolf Trap Opera; Madama Butterfly with Virginia Opera; the double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost at Michigan Opera Theatre; the American premiere of Scarlatti's Erminia at the Kennedy Center with Opera Lafayette; Laura Kaminsky’s As One with the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program; Susannah with Charlottesville Opera; Jack Perla’s An American Dream with Virginia Opera’s inaugural contemporary opera series “VAriations”; and Andy Monroe's The Life and Times of Joe Jefferson Benjamin Blow at NYC's Theatre 315 with the National Asian Artists Project. At the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival he directed Much Ado About Nothing after having previously directed a touring production of The Tempest; and for Cleveland Play House's film The CARE Monologue Project Richard directed monologues written by Rajiv Joseph, Lloyd Suh, Karen Zacarias, Tanya Saracho, and Matthew Lopez. He directed the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s electronic opera The Lake at ArtSounds in Kansas City; Trouble in Tahiti with Paul Watkins at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival; the workshop of J Ashley Miller’s pop opera Echosis with Atemporchestra; and was Associate Director for The Grapes of Wrath at Michigan Opera Theatre and Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera.

Richard is the director of the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program and productions he has directed there include Jack Perla's An American Dream (East Coast premiere), Mohammed Fairouz’s Sumeida’s Song, Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, Trouble in Tahiti, The Medium, and a site-specific production of Gianni Schicchi at SPACE Gallery. He is also the co-founder and director of Art with Arias, an annual collaborative recital series partnering artists from the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program with the Portland Museum of Art.

Richard also enjoys working with young artists at leading conservatories and universities. He has recently accepted the position as Director of Opera at the University of Northern Iowa and has directed Dido and Aeneas, Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda as well as creating and directing an annual collaborative recital program between UNI Opera and the UNI Gallery of Art entitled In The Studio. Other conservatory/university productions include Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna and Rorem’s Three Sisters who are Not Sisters at the Manhattan School of Music; the world premiere of Jorge Sosa’s liturgical drama Tonantzin at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance; Silent Night, La traviata, Sweeney Todd, La bohème, Così fan tutte, and Ward’s The Crucible (cancelled midway through the process due to COVID-19) with the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre; and Sankaram’s Looking At You, Ward's Roman Fever, and Hilliard & Boresi's The Filthy Habit at Carnegie Mellon University.

Other creative positions include Creative Associate for the world premiere of Dream’d in a dream with Seán Curran Company at BAM Next Wave Festival, an Artist Resident at Hewnoaks Artist Colony (2018) and the Institute for American Art (2017), Resident Assistant Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (2016-2018), and an Assistant Director at LA Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Palm Beach Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Virginia Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Charlottesville Opera, Opera North, and Opera Maine working on productions that include the world premieres of Jack Perla’s Shalimar, the Clown; Terence Blanchard’s Champion; Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 and Rappahannock County; Jorge Martin’s Before Night Falls; and the American premieres of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland; and Jacques Ibert’s Persée et Andromède.

Upcoming productions include An American Dream with Opera Santa Barbara, Albert Herring and the double bill of The Impresario and Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg with the Princeton Festival, and Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher with the Opera Maine Studio Artist Program. Richard is also currently collaborating with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Melisa Tien on a new opera scheduled to premiere in the Spring of 2023.

Janet Todd

Australian soprano Janet Szepei Todd is a lively and versatile singer based in Los Angeles.

She completed her Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music in New York in 2016 where she performed roles including Cecile in Conrad Susa’s Dangerous Liaisons, Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Noemie in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Angelica in Michael Dellaira’s new opera The Leopard in conjunction with New York Opera Projects. She has since sung world premieres of new chamber works including a song cycle by US composer Marjorie Merryman, and Roger Nierenberg amongst others, and has starred in new comic opera short film collaborations by Rainy Park Opera NYC/Galaxy454 productions. Other performance highlights while in New York include soprano soloist in Mozart’s C Minor Mass, and soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand in a collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music and the New York Oratorio Society.

In 2019, Janet performed Cio-Cio San in Pacific Opera Project's bilingual production of Madama Butterfly, performed in Japanese and English. She joined the company again as Yum Yum in The Mikado, and Mimi in La Boheme.

In 2018 Janet performed Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly with Opera Columbus. She was the soprano soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass with The Sydney Philharmonia, and performed a leading role in the Los Angeles premier of American composer Mark Lanz Weiser’s new opera The Place Where You Started.

In her home town of Melbourne, Australia, Janet made her debut with Victorian Opera in 2011 as Pamina in The Magic Flute, going on to perform Liesgen in Bach’s Coffee Cantata (for which she was nominated for an Australian Green Room Award for best principal female artist), Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for their 2012 Gala Concert and The Prince in Cinderella pantomime (Gill) . With Opera Australia Janet performed Pamina in The Magic Flute in their 2014 Opera on the Beach spectacular, and for Opera Australia’s Oz Opera she has performed the roles of both Donna Elvira (2013) and Zerlina (2012) in Don Giovanni. She was soprano soloist in The Australian Ballet’s double bill Elegy singing Faure’s Requiem, as well as their Vanguard tripe bill program singing Pergolese’s Stabat Mater. For Pinchgut Opera, Sydney, she performed the role of Miss Hawk in Salieri’s The Chimney Sweep, and Zelmira in Haydn’s Armida. Janet sung the title role in Handel’s Esther with Canberra's Handel in the Theatre, and Iole in their production of Handel’s Hercules. In the music theater world, Janet performed Marsinah in Kismet with The Production Company, State Theatre.

Awards and prizes include Opera Foundation Australia AIMS Award as well as the AIMS Sundell Study award (2010), runner up in The Herald Sun Aria (2009), she was the recipient of a Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust Scholarship (2010, 2011 and 2012), won an Ian Potter Cultural Institute Award (2014) and was awarded the Dame Heather Begg Award (2014).

Janet is also currently a member of the Los Angeles Opera chorus.

Eiki Isomura

Japanese-American conductor Eiki Isomura is in his fifth season as artistic director and principal conductor of Opera in the Heights (OH) in Houston, where he has led over a hundred performances of over twenty-five operas, drawing consistent praise for elevating the company's performance standard: "The orchestra has never sounded so focused," wrote the Houston Press, "Down the line, this is ensemble-playing of fine caliber... The OH chorus is ultra-fine, smooth and lustrous... Maestro Isomura deserves our thanks."

During his tenure at OH, Maestro Isomura commissioned female Arab and Muslim American composer Jonia Jarrar's Seven Spells in 2020, and Black American composer Steve Wallace's Unsung Activist in 2021, while developing a partnership with the Holocaust Museum Houston to co-produce Derrick Wang's Scalia / Ginsburg as part of the museum's Notorious RBG exhibit. In 2019, Isomura collaborated with Pacific Opera Project (POP) artistic director, Josh Shaw, as co-librettists in creating a Japanese-English bilingual production of Madama Butterfly. The co-production between POP and OH won an Opera America Innovation Grant and has drawn critical acclaim and field-wide attention as a compelling solution to the opera's many problems.

Upcoming engagements include a debut with Opera Philadelphia for Hosokawa's The Raven. A passionate advocate for new music, Isomura launched OHs' first-ever new works festival, has co-commissioned/produced five operas, and has led numerous world premieres with MUSIQA, Houston's leading new music collective. He conducted the world premiere of Laura Schwendinger's chamber opera Cabaret of Shadows; concert premieres of Marcus Maroney's Velvet and Trevor Weston's Stars; the Houston premiere of Mack & McGuire's Lucinda y las Flores de la Nochebuena, and Piazzola's María de Buenos Aires, which he led from the piano, drawing praise from the Houston Press: "Isomura seems to have lived another life in Argentina for the love and passion he imbues in the score."

Prior to his time at OH, Maestro Isomura served on the music staff of Arizona Opera and HGOco, preparing the workshops and world premieres of numerous chamber operas for Houston Grand Opera. His educational activities have included work with Opera in the Ozarks, Lone Star College, and guest music director of opera at Temple University. In addition to his work as conductor, producer, educator, and sometimes librettist/translator, Isomura is a sought-after adjudicator of vocal competitions and panelist for arts organizations. Maestro Isomura serves on the Opera America Artistic Services Council and holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Kenneth Kiesler, who also mentored him as a conducting fellow at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Christian Sanders

Christian Sanders has been hailed as a “…voice whose color belies his age. Someone to watch!” (Bill Eadie, SanDiego.com)

Christian Sanders has been hailed as a “…voice whose color belies his age. Someone to watch!” (Bill Eadie, SanDiego.com). His operatic repertoire encompasses Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, Albert Herring, Rodolfo in La bohème, Fenton in Falstaff, Laurie in Little Women, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Prince Charmant in Cendrillon, as well as a broad range of modern opera and work by living composers.

Mr. Sanders’ busy 2021-2022 brings several significant engagements in new opera as well as standard repertoire. He makes his company debut with Opera Santa Barbara singing The Song Seller in Il Tabarro, debuts the role of Wilbur in the world premiere of Finding Wright with Dayton Opera, appears as title role in Orpheus in the Underworld with Madison Opera, and joins the cast of The Magic Flute as Monostatos with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. The 2020-21 season featured his return to Des Moines Metro Opera as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd and Timothy in Fellow Travelers as well as performances as Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining with Minnesota Opera (cancelled due to COVID-19).

On the concert stage Mr. Sanders has been the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Point Loma Choral Union. More recently, Mr. Sanders performed with the Rice Chorale at Rice University in Houston, Texas for Schubert’s Mass No. 2, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He has also appeared as a guest soloist with the San Diego Mormon Choir and Orchestra and as the tenor soloist in Mozart's Coronation Mass with the San Diego Festival Chorus in a live televised concert.

Mr. Sanders was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Region of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in the spring of 2012. Christian also had the honor of being awarded first place in the Ruth Burr Competition held in Houston, Texas in 2015. He was the First-Place Winner of the Lower-Collegiate Division of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Young Artist Competition and a Finalist for the 2010/11 Classical Singer Magazine National Competition. Additionally, Mr. Sanders is a scholarship recipient of the R. Faulk and the D. Greiner Encouragement Awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Mr. Sanders has received his Masters degree in Operatic Performance from Rice University in Houston on the full-tuition Edward J. and Frances Bing Memorial Scholarship. He holds a Bachelors of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Music with a minor in Cell and Molecular Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University and currently lives in San Diego, California.

Lindsay Patterson Abdou

Praised as a "mature artist with a voluminous sound," baritone and composer Joel Balzun is establishing himself as a mature new voice in the future of music. His multi-faceted career has already led him to work with some of the world’s most respected musicians and ensembles.

From Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, Mr. Balzun has appeared successfully on both the operatic and concert stages. As a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Mr. Balzun sang alongside Stephanie Blythe in a concert of American song, and Dawn Upshaw and Sanford Sylvan in Shostakovich's brooding Symphony No. 14. Other past appearances include the title roles in Don Giovanni and Gianni Schicchi, Ford (Falstaff), Marcello (La bohème) the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Prince Yeletskiy and Count Tomskiy (Pikovaya Dama), Albert (Werther), Belcore (L'elisir d'amore), Dr. Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Valentin (Faust), Sid (Albert Herring), and John Brooke (Adamo’s Little Women), among others. On the concert stage, Mr. Balzun has been a featured soloist in Copland's Old American Songs, Dvo?ák’s Te Deum, Fauré's Requiem, Haydn's The Creation, Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, and numerous cantatas of Bach. His acclaimed performance of Bach's Johannes-Passion with the Rochester Bach Festival was recently broadcast multiple times across the United States.

In the competition circuit, Mr. Balzun has been a prize-winner in numerous competitions. Highlights include prizes from the The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Los Angeles District and Western Region), Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, Houston Saengerbund Vocal Competition, Gwendolyn Roberts Young Artist Auditions, Orpheus National Vocal Competition, Houston Saengerbund Vocal Competition and the Rio Hondo Symphony Young Artist Competition. He has also been a finalist for Rochester International Voice Competition and a semi-finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Society, James Toland Vocal Arts and Annapolis Opera Vocal Competitions.

An avid proponent of the music of living and contemporary composers, Mr. Balzun won critical acclaim for his portrayal of the titular Joseph de Rocher in the South Florida premiere of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking with Miami Music Festival. He worked with the composer on this work, as well as the role of Charlie in excerpts from Three Decembers. On the concert stage, he has championed rarely-performed works such as George Rochberg's String Quartet No. 7, as well as Peter Maxwell Davies's virtuosic Eight Songs for a Mad King, and numerous performances of Robert Denham's Sutter Creek, among others. In 2014, Mr. Balzun was a featured soloist at the CFAMC National Conference in 2014, where he gave the world premiere performances of works by Christopher Ashbaugh, David Fuentes, Jan Mittelstaedt and Benjamin Williams. He was looking forward to presenting the New York premiere of Lembit Beecher’s Sky on Swings with Opera Saratoga in 2020 but the production was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His professional debut in 2011 was in the world premiere of Peter Michael von der Nahmer's award winning opera, El canguro with California International Theatre Festival.

In May 2021, Mr. Balzun launched Black Dog Commission, a new commissioning series for art song repertoire which openly discusses life with mental illness. Inspired by Mr. Balzun’s own journey with depression, he looks forward to premiering a new work written for him by Tom Cipullo with poetry by Les Murray in spring 2022, with more projects to come in the future.

Alexis Enyart

Alexis Enyart is a rising orchestra and opera conductor praised for her musical finesse and technical grace. Since moving to Chicago in August of 2017 Alex has shot to prominence serving primarily as Music Director of Thompson Street Opera Company as well as guest conducting for Chicago Fringe Opera, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium, and Another Voice Collaborative. She has been well reviewed by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Classical Review, Chicago Theatre Review, Opera Box Score, Chicago Reader, and many others. In addition to all of this Alex was invited to participate in Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion as their first transgender conductor.

Alex is as comfortable on the podium as she is in the opera pit having made her international debut in Tomsk Russia with the Tomsk Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016 while finishing her Master’s in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Louisville. At the same time she also worked as the apprentice conductor with the Louisville Orchestra and Kentucky Opera as well as the Assistant Conductor for the Louisville Youth Orchestra. In 2017 Alex won the CODA conducting competition and was invited to work with Anthony Maeillo on La Gazza Ladra as a result. In 2018 Alex won the CCM Mozart Overture Competition. Alex works as a champion of new music and helped to bring As One, When Adonis Calls, Patience and Sarah to Chicago, among many others. She also champions young singers and advocates for every voice in her work with Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium which includes productions of La finta giardiniera, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and L’elisir d’amore with many more to come!

As a transgender conductor Alexis strives to create a more equitable and diverse musical world. As such she has successfully chartered “Faulty Systems”, an annual program in which activists and artists come together to share stories of underrepresented communities or ideas through music, speech, poetry, dance and other mediums. Alexis also helped to launch the Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium’s sing–thru program, which functions to create an accessible space for young artists to experiment with musical styles and traditions following their education. You can also find Alexis working with ResonaTe an all transgender choir with a mission to foster acceptance of all voices and identities. Alexis believes that to conduct is an honor and privilege, and continues to work to support and strengthen the musical community she is privileged to be a part of.

Amy Hutchison

Amy Hutchison's "fascinating, brilliantly mounted double bill" productions of Donizetti's IL PIGMALIONE and RITA for Chicago Opera Theater wowed audiences and critics alike. Hutchison has also championed American opera throughout her career. She has staged AS ONE for Pensacola Opera, Alamo City Opera, and Chicago Fringe Opera, where she curated a Trans Artist Showcase at The Center on Halsted in conjunction with the production. Her production of Missy Mazzoli’s SONG FROM THE UPROAR: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF ISABELLE EBERHARDT was hailed as “imaginative” and “striking contemporary music theater.” She has directed William Bolcom’s A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE for Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Washington National Opera and Portland Opera. Her collaboration with Ricky Ian Gordon and Stacey Tappan, ONCE I WAS: SONGS BY RICKY IAN GORDON, was staged at the Chicago Cultural Center and recorded on the Blue Griffin label.

Hutchison’s production of William Grant Still’s epic masterwork TROUBLED ISLAND for South Shore Opera Company of Chicago was named the number one classical music event of 2013 by the Chicago Sun-Times. Other productions for South Shore Opera include: Steven M. Allen's THE POET, Joelle Lamarre’s THE VIOLET HOUR: THE LIFE OF LEONTYNE PRICE; Jonathan Stinson’s THE MARCH: A CIVIL RIGHTS OPERA PROJECT and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s DREAM LOVERS and AFRICAN ROMANCES. Other Chicago area productions include the American premiere of Paul Abraham's gorgeous jazz operetta THE FLOWER OF HAWAII and Leo Fall’s MADAME POMPADOUR (Folks Operetta), Ross Crean's THE TIMES ARE NIGHTFALL (Pride Films & Plays), FAUST (DuPage Opera), BRIGADOON (Music By the Lake), and Ned Rorem’s OUR TOWN (DePaul Opera Theatre). Productions nationwide include several productions of CARMEN (Kansas City, Milwaukee, Columbus), TURANDOT (Orlando), DON PASQUALE (Indianapolis), LA TRAVIATA (Costa Mesa), IL MATRIMONIO SEGRETO (Boston), and Menotti's HELP! HELP! THE GLOBOLINKS! (Madison).

She has served on the directing staffs of Lyric Opera of Chicago and Houston Grand Opera. She has staged the Maurice Sendak production of HANSEL & GRETEL for Opernhaus Zürich, The Juilliard School (televised for PBS: Live from Lincoln Center) and for the Canadian, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Baltimore opera companies. As Associate Director, Hutchison has staged PORGY AND BESS throughout the United States and globally, including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, L’Opéra National de Paris and opera houses in Düsseldorf, Lucca and Tokyo.

Dedicated to artist training, Hutchison has been a faculty member of The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Westminster Choir College and its CoOPERAtive Training Program, as well as directing and coaching the young artists of Lyric Opera's Ryan Artist Center and Houston Opera Studio.

Yuki Izumihara

Robert Stahley

Tenor Robert Stahley, known for “bringing vociferous ring to the tenor line,” (South Florida Classical Review), is making waves throughout the operatic industry. He is a current member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein young artist program at LA Opera where he has performed roles such as Le Berger in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, Valcour in L’Amant Anonyme, First Armored Man in Barrie Kosky’s famed production of Die Zauberflöte, and Parpignol in the North American premiere of Barrie Kosky’s La bohème. In the 2021 festival season, Robert will return to the Santa Fe Opera as a second-year Apprentice, where he will sing the role of The Captain in the world premiere of John Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries and will be featured in concert with Grammy Award winning Soprano Angel Blue. Recent engagements include the title role in The Tales of Hoffmann with Arbor Opera Theater, the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Messa Da Requiem with the Quad-City Symphony, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Lynn Philharmonia. Previous performances include William Marshall in Regina with Opera Theater of St. Louis, scenes as Lenny in Of Mice and Men and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with the St. Louis Symphony, and Pang in Turandot with the Kentucky Symphony. He also appeared as Trajan in a Workshop of Rufus Wainwright’s new opera Hadrian with the Canadian Opera Company. He has been a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera where he covered the role of Rodolfo (La Boheme) and Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia). Other significant roles include Candide (Candide) Idomeneo (Idomeneo), The Schoolmaster (The Cunning Little Vixen), Charlie (Mahagonny-Songspiel), The Lamplighter and Drunk (The Little Prince), Sam Kaplan (Street Scene), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), and Hubert Humphrey (Dark River).

Equally comfortable on the concert stage, Mr. Stahley recently made his Indianapolis Symphony debut singing arias from operas such as Tosca and Die Zauberflöte. He has also been the tenor soloist for Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, St. Matthew Passion with the Amherst Bach Festival, the tenor soloist in Schubert's Mass in A-flat with CCM choirs, and appeared in several operatic scenes, such as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Hoffmann (Les contes d’Hoffmann), The Duke (Rigoletto), and Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly).

Mr. Stahley won first prize in the 2019 Wagner Society of New York Competition, was a third prize winner in the 2018 Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition, placed first in the 2017 Piccolo Vocal Competition, and was a finalist in the 2018 Mildred Miller Competition. He completed his Artist Diploma and Masters at the College Conservatory of Music. He has bowed with opera companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Arbor Opera Theater, Palm Beach Opera, and Cincinnati Opera.

In the summer of 2022, he will be a Filene Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, where he will appear as Max in Der Freischütz and Sam Polk in Susannah. In the 2022/23 season, he will make his Dallas Opera debut as Froh in Das Rheingold and perform Melot in Tristan und Isolde with the LA Philharmonic.

In the summer of 2021, he returned to Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, creating the role of the Captain in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's The Lord of Cries. For Santa Fe Opera's cancelled 2020 season, he had been contracted to return as a second-year Apprentice Artist and to sing the roles of the First Armored Man in The Magic Flute and Melot in Tristan und Isolde. He had also been contracted to sing the role of Narraboth in Salome with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra.

Recent performances include the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Lynn Philharmonia and the tenor soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

Logan Tanner

Praised for his “striking musicality, clarity, and strong coloratura” (Opera Canada), countertenor Logan Tanner has performed on operatic stages throughout the United States and abroad. He recently performed the role of Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and “commanded the role of Oberon charmingly” (Opera Canada) in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Halifax Opera Festival.

In the 2021-2022 season, Tanner will make company debuts with Opera San Jose as the Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Opera Santa Barbara in the role of Athamas in Handel’s Semele and with Gulfshore Opera as Prince Orlofsky in J. Strauss’s Die Fledermaus.

Tanner has garnered awards in numerous competitions, placing first in the Choralis Young Artist Competition, Ise-Shima International Singing Competition, New Opera Stars Vocal Competition, New York Classical Music Society International Competition, and the Vano Visioli International Opera Competition. He took third prize in the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition and 5th in the Opera Tools International Competition, and has won the American Prize in Opera and the Pasadena Vocal Competition Special Encouragement Award. In addition, Tanner was granted honorable mention by the NOMEA International Competition and the Vienna New Year Concert International Competition.

Tanner has been a Stern fellow at SongFest, and a Vocal Fellow at The Music Academy of the West, where he worked with famed mezzo-soprano, Marilyn Horne. He has been engaged as soloist with the Pacific Symphony, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Europa, North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, New York Repertory Orchestra, the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, Choralis, Chorus Austin, New York Chamber Choir, the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, La Fiocco, the Arcadia Players, Monmouth Civic Chorus, the Westchester Oratorio Society, and the Sparkill Concert Series.

Tanner’s concert repertoire spans a wide breadth of material, and he is known for bringing a flowing bel canto dimension to the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah, the Roasting Swan in Orff’s Carmina Burana, the Brahms Viola Songs, and the treble solos in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, which he performed alongside Jamie Bernstein, author, and daughter of Leonard Bernstein. Tanner has also appeared in concert alongside renowned artists including Cynthia Phelps of the New York Philharmonic, and Martin Katz. Tanner will make several international debuts in the 2021 season including appearances in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Germany.

A native of Texas, Mr. Tanner started his musical studies as a tenor at Baylor University and went on to graduate studies at Westminster Choir College. There he studied with Christopher Arneson who encouraged him to become a countertenor. Mr. Tanner dove into the repertoire and found it a perfect match.

He entered the 2017 New York Classical Music Society International Competition and won it. “It was kind of mind-blowing,” he said. “I never looked back after that.”

Sarah Coit

In 2018, Mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit was heard in several recital performances as a Vocal Fellow with Ravinia's Steans Music Institute and made several important house and role debuts. Opera News praised her performance in Le nozze di Figaro with Michigan Opera Theatre: "Sarah Coit's burnished mezzo-soprano gave her Cherubino a seductive tinge. Her pure, lovely "Voi che sapete" confirmed her bright future, made all the more likely by her undeniable aptitude for physical comedy."

In the 2019-20 season, Sarah performed Mercédès in Carmen with Opera Tampa. Covering Daniela Mack as Rosmira in Handel’s Partenope with San Francisco Opera, plus a concert engagement as the mezzo soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the New West Symphony were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, Sarah sings Addison Moore in the world premiere film of Clint Borzoni and John de los Santos’ The Copper Queen with Arizona Opera, Varvara in Katya Kabanova with West Edge Opera, Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Utah Opera, Messiah with Winston-Salem Symphony, American Bach Soloists, and Indianapolis Symphony. In 2022, she makes house and role debuts with Opera Santa Barbara as Juno in Handel’s Semele and San Diego Opera as Stéphano in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

In the 2018-19 season, Sarah performed the role of Adonis in the world premiere of Dan Visconti and Cerise Jacobs' ‘Interactive video game opera’ PermaDeath with White Snake Projects in Boston. She made her Seattle Opera debut as Mercédès in Carmen, performed at the Ravinia Festival as a soloist in Bernstein’s Songfest, joined West Edge Opera as Jenny Diver in The Threepenny Opera, sang her first Olga in Eugene Onegin with Livermore Valley Opera, sang the Vivaldi Gloria and Bach Magnificat with the Master Chorale of South Florida, and was heard in a special New Year’s Eve concert with American Bach Soloists joined by Hadleigh Adams.

Her repertoire includes such roles as Nancy in Albert Herring, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking, the title role in Giulio Cesare, and the Waitress in the World Premiere of Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight.

In the summer of 2015, Sarah was a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis where she covered Richard in the American Premiere of Handel’s Richard the Lionheart. She spent two years as a Resident Artist with Utah Opera where she sang the Shepherd, White Cat, and Squirrel in L’Enfant et les sortilèges with the Utah Symphony and performed the roles of Mercédès in Carmen and Zerlina in Don Giovanni on the mainstage. As an apprentice artist at the Santa Fe Opera, she covered the roles of Erika in Barber's Vanessa and Laurene Powell Jobs in the World Premiere of Mason Bates' The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. As Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, Classical Review remarked "...mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit distinguished herself as Alisa, especially in the gorgeous sextet."

She was a 2017 National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has received prizes from the George London Foundation and the Handel Aria Competition. She is the 2020 recipient of the American Bach Soloist’s Jeffrey Thomas Award and was a runner-up in the “Best Opera Singer” category for 2019-2020 season San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards.

A native of Spring Hill, FL, Sarah holds degrees in Music Studies and Theatre Performance from the University of South Florida and a Masters degree from the University of Michigan.

Brandon Baruch

Adam Crinson

ADAM CRINSON IS A SCENIC DESIGNER FOR THEATER, OPERA, AND DANCE. HE CURRENTLY RESIDES IN NEW YORK CITY WORKING PRIMARILY AS A FREELANCE ARTIST. ADAM HAS NOW DESIGNED SCENERY AND COLLABORATED ON OVER 100 PRODUCTIONS WITH COMPANIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

ADAM BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A DESIGNER IN 2008 IN METRO DETROIT. HE SERVED AS THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR WITH THE JEWISH ENSEMBLE THEATRE FROM 2011-2013 WHILE ALSO COLLABORATING AND DESIGNING PRODUCTIONS WITH THE RINGWALD, MATRIX THEATRE CO., ARTXDETROIT, MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE AND WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY.

IN THE SPRING OF 2013 ADAM MOVED TO CHICAGO TO CONTINUE AND ADVANCE HIS WORK IN THE DESIGN FIELD. IN THE TWO YEARS THAT HE SPENT IN CHICAGO ADAM WORKED WITH SUCH COMPANIES AS SUGAR CREEK OPERA, PEGASUS THEATRE CO., TEATRO VISTA, BRAVO!, AND LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO.

ADAM MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY FOLLOWING HIS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON WITH DES MOINES METRO OPERA. HE BEGAN WORKING WITH THEM IN 2012 AS PROPS MASTER AND TRANSITIONED INTO THE ROLE OF ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER IN 2014, WHILE ALSO SERVING AS SCENIC DESIGNER ON THEIR SECOND STAGES SERIES. THIS SUMMER HE WILL RETURN AS THE ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER ON CANDIDE, WOZZECK, AND LA BOHEME WHILE ALSO SERVING AS THE SCENIC DESIGNER FOR THE 2ND STAGE'S PRODUCTION OF BON APPETIT FEATURING JOYCE CASTLE AS JULIA CHILD.

IN JANUARY OF 2017 ADAM COLLABORATED WITH KRISTINE MCINTYRE AND KATHY MAXWELL ON AN IMMERSIVE PRODUCTION OF DAVID T. LITTLE's OPERA SOLDIER SONGS. A BRAND NEW PRODUCTION AT A LIVE MILITARY POST, CAMP DODGE IOWA ALLOWED DES MOINES METRO OPERA TO TRANSFORM ONE OF THEIR HALLS AND EVEN CONTRIBUTED TWO HUMVEE's FOR SET DRESSING AND ADDED EFFECT. IN OCTOBER OF 2018 THE SAME TEAM REUNITED TO COLLABORATE ON AN IMMERSIVE AND IN THE ROUND PRODUCTION OF TOM CIPPULO'S GLORY DENIED.

OTHER UPCOMING PROJECTS INCLUDE THE COLLEGIATE PREMIER OF ELIZABETH CREE AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, KISS ME KATE WITH SIMPSON COLLEGE, THE MAGIC FLUTE WITH OPERA IOWA AND BON APPETIT WITH DES MOINES METRO OPERA.

ADAM WAS BORN IN ROYAL OAK, MI AND ATTENDED WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Mariachi Los Camperos

The Grammy award winning ensemble, Mariachi Los Camperos was founded in 1961 by Jose Natividad “Nati” Cano Ruiz. Mr. Cano played a fundamental role in the development of mariachi music in the United States by training and mentoring new generations of mariachi musicians. The Mariachi “Giant” was a visionary leader that wanted to take the mariachi performance out of customary locations such as Cantinas and into concert halls where celebrities performed. Nati Cano fulfilled his dream by presenting Los Camperos and performing at casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, Sparks, Lake Tahoe and other places where mariachis had never previously performed. Los Camperos became well known and in 1964, they were the first Mariachi to perform in New York’s Carnegie Hall. In 1969, Mr. Cano opened the first ever Mariachi Dine and Show at “La Fonda Casa de Los Camperos” now known as a Landmark in the city of Los Angeles, California. Today, mariachi restaurants all over the world are modeled after La Fonda.

Mariachi Los Camperos, one of the most popular mariachi ensembles in the world, is noted for innovative shows and distinction as a concert ensemble. The group has performed for over 60 years on stage and television, including various PBS specials, “In Performance at the White House”, “The Spirit of Mexico”, “Viva La Tradicion” and others. Motion pictures such as: “Sex in the City 2”, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Jerry Maguire” and many more. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble has recorded and performed with many artist including Pedro Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Angeles Ochoa, Eugenia Leon, Lila Downs, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel and many more. Including, the collaboration on Linda Ronstadt’s 1987 milestone album, “Canciones de Mi Padre” and Ronstadt’s sequel album, “Mas Canciones” (released in 1992), they toured with the singer nationwide.

On October 3rd, 2014 Los Camperos mourned the death of Nati Cano. His passing was greatly felt by followers, students and performers worldwide. Mr. Cano left the group to the musical director, Jesus "Chuy" Guzman whom has served as the musical director since 1992.

Chuy Guzman is known for his musical arrangements that highlight the skills and voices of the group. He is widely recognized as arranger, director, instructor, and musician in the genre of Mariachi music. Mr. Guzman has served as head instructor for numerous international mariachi festivals in the United States and Mexico. He is the Musical Director for the Mariachi Master Apprentice Program (MMAP) in San Fernando and continues as the instructor for Music of Mexico, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Under Guzman’s Direction, in 2006 Mariachi Los Camperos received a Grammy nomination for their Album “Llegaron Los Camperos”, In 2008 Mariachi Los Camperos took home a Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album with “Amor, Dolor y Lagrimas". They later released a 2015 Grammy-nominated musical tribute to Nati Cano called: Tradición, Arte, y Pasión, this album gave Mariachi Los Camperos a Grammy nomination. Determined for a Grammy Award, In January 2020 at the 62nd Grammy award celebration, Mariachi Los Camperos took home another Grammy Award with their album release “De Ayer Para Siempre” for Best Regional Mexican Music Album.

Raphaella Medina

Commended for her colorful timbre and moving performances,
mezzo-soprano Raphaella Medina has made appearances in opera, concert, musical theater, and theater throughout the United States and internationally.

In the 2021 - 2022 season, Raphaella joins Opera Santa Barbara as a Chrisman Studio Artist, performing the role of Diana in the mariachi opera, Cruzar la cara de la luna.

This past summer, Raphaella was a Summer Concert Artist with Florentine Opera, performing concerts throughout the Lake Michigan region.

During the 2019/20 season, Raphaella joined Opera Columbus as a Resident Artist, covering Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Ottavia in an innovative production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, as well as giving concert performances with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Central Ohio Symphony. She was also named a Bonnie Bell Encouragement Award winner by the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition.

In the 2018/19 season, Raphaella made her debut with BARN Opera as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, originated the roles of Shop Woman and Mrs. Leak in the world premiere of Lolly Willowes (MATCH, Houston), debuted as a soloist with the Simpson University Symphony and the Paradise Symphony, co-wrote and premiered a devised theater work, SMALL UMBRELLAS, and made her television debut as Isabella in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Spiritus Productions/KIXE Channel 9 in collaboration with the PBS documentary series, Shakespeare Uncovered. Raphaella was also named a San Francisco District Winner and a Western Region Finalist in the 2018/19 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.

Previous season highlights include Raphaella’s role and house debut as Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Opera in the Heights (2017), originating the role of Oldest Daughter in the world premiere of The Woman of Salt (2017), singing the title role in The Ugly Duckling with Opera Saratoga (2018), and being announced the winner of Mobile Opera’s Madame Rose Palmai-Tenser Competition (2018).

Raphaella has performed roles with Opera in the Heights, BARN Opera, Opera Saratoga, Seagle Music Colony, Moores Opera Center, and the FSU Opera. Favorite roles include Rosina, Stéphano, Dorabella, Dolly Oblonsky (Anna Karenina), and Isabela (La hija de Rappaccini).

In addition to her work on the opera stage, Raphaella has participated in Carnegie Hall’s series of masterclasses led by Joyce DiDonato which were broadcast internationally by Medici.tv. She has also participated in Marilyn Horne’s Carnegie Hall masterclass series The Song Continues and has appeared in recital with Stephanie Blythe.

Raphaella holds a Master of Music from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Florida State University College of Music.

Bernardo Bermudez

Venezuelan American Tenor Bernardo Bermudez, started his musical education at The Conservatory of Music Juan Manuel Olivares, in Caracas Venezuela. He has recently began essaying roles and repertoire for the Tenor voice. Currently living in the United States he has performed in productions and concerts with companies including San Diego Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Opera, Anchorage Opera, Portland Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, The San Diego Symphony, Opera North, Union Avenue Opera, West Bay Opera, Livermore Valley Opera and The Music Academy of the West to name a few. His operatic roles performed as a Tenor include Don Jose in Carmen, and will be performing The Messenger in Aida in San Diego Opera production in fall 2019. As a Lyric Baritone roles include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Diego Rivera in Frida, Danilo in The Merry Widow, Silvio in Pagliacci, Escamillo in Carmen, Valentin in Faust, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, the title role in Don Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Vidal Hernando in Luisa Fernanda, Aeneas in Dido & Aeneas, other roles include El Dancairo and Morales in Carmen, Marullo in Rigoletto, Schaunard in La Boheme, Price Yamadori in Madama Butterfly, as well as Morald in the North America stage premier of Richard Wagner’s Die Feen, as part of Los Angeles Opera’s Ring Festival. He participated as a voice fellow at the prestigious Summer Festivals at The Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara California, under the direction of famous American Mezzo Soprano Marilyn Horne, Opera North in New Hampshire under the direction of Louis Burkot as well as Opera Neo in San Diego California under the direction of Peter Kozma. He received 1st place in NATS LA singing competition, 1st place winner in AEIOU, 39th Annual Opera Scholarship and Competition, finalist in the Burbank Philharmonic Hennings-Fischer Opera Competition, Opera Buffs Grant recipient, semifinalist in the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition, recipient of the Doug Acker Memorial Vocal Scholarship, and 2nd place winner in the Virginia Hawk Vocal Competition. Most recently he has received the Music Academy of the West Alumni Enterprise award in 2019 and 2020. Mr. Bermudez is also co-founder of Opera4Kids a new non-profit organization, whose mission is to use the transformative power of live vocal and classical music performance, to educate young audiences about theatre and music, in a culturally enriching environment.

Jessica Gonzalez-Rodriguez

David Hanlon

David Hanlon is a composer, conductor, and pianist praised by Maestro Patrick Summers as “one of the major compositional voices of the young generation.” David is currently writing The Pigeon Keeper with librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, commissioned by the Opera For All Voices consortium led by Santa Fe Opera. David’s last collaboration with Stephanie was the chamber opera After the Storm, whose premiere he conducted at Houston Grand Opera. The Houston Chronicle lauded the score as “haunting” and “stirringly successful.” David has often written work for Houston Grand Opera (HGOco), including his chamber opera Past the Checkpoints about undocumented immigrants (featured in Opera America’s 2014 New Works Forum) the chamber vocal piece The Ninth November I Was Hiding, about his grandfather's arrest during Kristallnacht, and Power, based on a text by a high-schooler about bullying.

David often works with Wolf Trap Opera, which recently premiered his orchestration of Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon, praised by Opera News for its many“charms” and its “savory, nearly Straussian shimmer.” His other Wolf Trap commissions include the children’s opera Listen, Wilhelmina! With Wilhelmina librettist Kathleen Kelly, David wrote Texanische Liebeslieder about German immigration to Texas, based on oral histories in the Texas German dialect archives at UT-Austin. Since its premiere, it has been revived several times in Austin and Ann Arbor, and broadcast on Austin’s KMFA.

David is also a conductor with a focus in new work, praised by the Washington Post for his interpretive skills and “precise baton.” Most recently, he conducted at Houston Grand Opera the world premiere of El Milagro del Recuerdo, which he also co-arranged. Previously, David made his debut at Chicago Opera Theatre, conducting Stefan Weisman and David Cote's The Scarlet Ibis. Among other world premieres, David has long been associated with the mariachi operas Cruzar la cara de la luna (World premiere and recording, as well as its revivals in Houston, Lyric Chicago of Chicago, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, and New York City Opera.) and El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (World premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and revivals at San Diego and HGO and Fort Worth.) He has orchestrated numbers from both Mariachi operas for Minnesota Opera’s Opera Afuera concert in 2021.

In addition to his commissioned work at HGO, David has conducted Gregory Spears’ The Bricklayer, Jack Perla's River of Light, and Jeeyoung Kim’s From My Mother’s Mother. He assisted on numerous productions, including the premieres of Spears's O Columbia, Iain Bell's A Christmas Carol, André Previn's Brief Encounter and Christopher Theofanidis's The Refuge in addition to productions of Lohengrin, Tosca, Serse, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He is a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio.

David served as Lorin Maazel’s assistant conductor for the Castleton Festival, where he prepared La Fanciulla del West for performances in Castleton and Spain, prepared both chorus and orchestra for concert performances, at times substituting for the Maestro in those concerts on short notice. He is also former Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera. As an Adler, he conducted the premiere of Jack Perla’s Love/Hate and debuted his four hand piano piece ¡Bang Kiss Kiss Bang! He assisted on SFO operas including Nixon in China, Siegfried, Don Giovanni, and the premiere of Heart of a Soldier. He also works as an assistant conductor and chorus master at Wolf Trap Opera and Washington Concert Opera and as a pianist at Dallas Opera and Philadelphia Opera.

David is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Wesleyan University. He lives in Washington D.C. with his wife and two daughters.

Renowned not only for his luxurious voice, confidence, and style, but also for his versatility and ability to bring a character to life on stage, bass-baritone Kyle Albertson is taking the business by storm. In his recent début as Wotan in Wagner’s epic masterpiece Die Walküre, in Maestro Jaap van Zweden final performance with the Dallas Symphony, Theater Jones exclaimed, “the most impressive aspect of this performance came undoubtedly from Wotan…his voice masterfully brought the character to life…Albertson’s interactions throughout the performance with his most beloved daughter, Brünnhilde were ingenuously convincing. Coupled with Albertson’s commanding, though endearing, baritone, these moments did not seem like an opera concert at all, rather a fully realized engagement of dramatic and musical interpretation.”

The Dallas News called his performance “gripping… I can’t recall the opera’s final parting of father and daughter so emotionally intense…this high-intensity performance will surely rank as a legend in Dallas musical history.” And the Texas Classical Review declared he “delivered a quietly dramatic presence in his monologue relatively early on in Act II which gradually built up to the final scene three hours later in which he allowed his luxuriant tone quality to resonate at full volume before slipping gently into the mournful farewell aria ‘Leb’ wohl’.” This tour-de-force performance left no doubt that the next American Wotan had arrived.

Mr. Albertson made his European debut at Opera Köln in Germany as Frank Murrant in Street Scene and will return to Europe in 2022 to perform the title role in Der fliegende Holländer and Wotan in Loriot’s Der Ring an einem Abend for Opera Graz. In addition, he will return to the Metropolitan as Angelotti in Tosca. 2020 and 2021 Metropolitan Opera engagements were to include his debut as Angelotti in Tosca, and covering the roles of the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer, Claggart in Billy Budd, and Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde. He was also slated to make his role debut as Jochaanan in Salome and Pizarro in Fidelio.

Albertson’s first foray into Wagner’s demanding vocal universe came in his house début at Lyric Opera of Chicago for their production of Das Rheingold, in which he subsequently performed the role of Donner in Minnesota Opera’s production shortly thereafter. He then went on to cover Greer Grimsley’s Wotan in Francesca Zambello’s production of Der Ring des Nibelungen for San Francisco Opera and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago for their production of Siegfried.

Other recent engagements have included his debut as Scarpia in Tosca for Virginia Opera, DeGuiche in Cyrano with Opera Carolina, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Sam in Trouble in Tahiti with Opera Parallel at SFJazz, JP Morgan in the World Première of Tesla with SoBe Arts in Miami, and Escamillo in Carmen and Scarpia in Tosca for the Phoenicia Festival.

He first joined The Metropolitan Opera roster for Don Giovanni and returned for five consecutive seasons in their productions of Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Dialogues des carmélites, The Merry Widow, and Manon. With Houston Grand Opera he performed the role of Sacristan in Tosca; with Atlanta Opera, the Sergeant of Police in Pirates of Penzance; Zuniga in Carmen with Dallas Opera; Lyndon B. Johnson in the workshop of David T. Little’s JFK and Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Fort Worth Opera; the title role of Sweeney Todd with Syracuse Opera; Lieutenant Horstmayer in Silent Night with Opera San José; Lescaut in Manon Lescaut with Opera Grand Rapids; DeGuiche in Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre; Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at Northern Lights Music Festival; Porthos in Les Trois Mousquetaires with Phoenicia Festival; Rucker Lattimore in Cold Sassy Tree with Sugar Creek Opera Festival; and the roles of the Prison Warden in Dead Man Walking, Hobson in Peter Grimes, and the Duke in Roméo et Juliette all with Des Moines Metro Opera.

A sought-after concert artist, a few recent highlights of his concert career include a solo in Bruckner’s Te Deum with Houston Symphony; the bass solo in Verdi’s Requiem with The Händel Society of Dartmouth; Händel’s Messiah with Boise Philharmonic; Papageno in Boston Youth Symphony’s concert performance of Die Zauberflöte at Symphony Hall; a Carnegie Hall début in Rutter’s Mass of the Children and a subsequent return for Kevin Padworski’s Wanderlust; and a concert version of Der Rosenkavalier with Christoph Eschenbach and the National Symphony.

Albertson is a graduate of The Santa Fe Opera Program, Minnesota Resident Artist Program, The Glimmerglass Festival, Aspen Opera Theater Center, and Chicago Opera Theater. He appeared in a variety of productions during his training including Les contes d’Hoffmann, Le nozze di Figaro, Un ballo in maschera, Roméo et Juliette, La donna del lago, as well as performed the roles of Escamillo in Carmen, Harašta in The Cunning Little Vixen, Geronimo in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto, Gus O’Neill in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening, Nilakantha in Lakmé, to which critics hailed “Kyle Albertson made an imposing Nilakantha, bringing life to a character that is barely two-dimensional.” and finally Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China, lauded by The Chicago Sun Times and The Chicago Tribune for his “watchful” and “effective” portrayal.

Mr. Albertson has placed as a finalist in several competitions such as The Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, the George London Foundation Competition, the Marcello Giordani Competition, the Liederkranz Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He holds a Master of Music degree from DePaul University where he studied with world renowned mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Iowa where he studied with David Smalley. He is currently in the studio of Dr. Steven King.

Matthew Grills

Opera News exclaims that in San Francisco Opera’s Sweeney Todd, “Tenor Matthew Grills made the strongest impression, delivering Tobias’s ‘Not While I’m Around’ with touching tenderness.” In the 2020-21 season, he returns to the roles of Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Opera Santa Barbara and Ramiro in La cenerentola with Nashville Opera as well as joins Santa Fe Opera as Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His return to Seattle Opera as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, his role and company debut as Gonsalve in L’heure espagnole with the Israel Philharmonic, the Shepherd in Oedipus Rex with Opera Philadelphia, and Handel’s Messiah with the Columbus Symphony were cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic as were his returns to Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Utah Opera and the Sacramento Philharmonic last season. Earlier in the 2019-20 season, he returned to Seattle Opera for his role debut as Ramiro in La cenerentola. He also made company debuts with Metropolitan Opera as the First Waiter in Der Rosenkavalier in addition to joining the company for its production of Die Zauberflote.

Recently he made house debuts with both Opera San Jose singing his first performances of Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and with New Orleans Opera in a return to his beloved characterization of Pedrillo in the same opera as well as sang his first performances of Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Berkshire Opera Festival. He returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper to reprise Kedril in From the House of the Dead and to Portland Opera for the company’s “Big Night” concert as well as joined Dallas Opera for a debut as the Dance Master in Manon Lescaut and for the company’s production of Falstaff. On the concert stage, he sang Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Houston Symphony, a concert celebrating Bernstein’s Broadway with the Florida Orchestra, as well as Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and excerpts of L’elisir d’amore with Das Musikkollegium Wintherthur.

Sought after in classical musical theatre repertoire as well, he recently returned to San Francisco Opera as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd. In the realm of bel canto repertoire, he made company debuts with Seattle Opera as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opéra national de Lorraine as Idreno in Semiramide, and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in Seoul, Korea and Portland Opera for Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore. He is a former member of the ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper, where his roles included further performances of include further performances of Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos as well as Kedril in From the House of the Dead, Danieli in Les vêpres siciliennes, and Vierter Knappe in Parsifal, all new productions; Don Gaspard in La favorite, among others. Other recent performances for the tenor include Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera, David, Jeremiah, and the Voice of God in Weill’s The Road of Promise with Kristjan Järvi conducting the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Fenton in Falstaff with Wolf Trap Opera, as well as Almaviva in family performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia and Nathaniel in Les contes d'Hoffmann with San Francisco Opera in addition to joining the company for its production of Così fan tutte.

Prior to joining the ensemble at the Bayerische Staatsoper, he was a member of the company’s prestigious Opernstudio and sang title role of Le comte Ory and Fabrizio in Martin?’s Mirandolina in the historic Cuvilliés Theatre, Ernesto in Donizetti’s Il giovedì grasso at the Schloss Nymphenberg, as well as his first performances of Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail on the company’s mainstage. He sang a solo recital at the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center presented by the Vocal Arts D.C. and the Washington Performing Arts Society and recently joined the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah. He is a former Resident Artist with Portland Opera and Apprentice Artist of Santa Fe Opera. At the Seagle Music Colony, he sang Ferrando in Così fan tutte.

Mr. Grills is the unprecedented winner of both grand prize in Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and first prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition in the same year, 2012. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music.

Max Potter

Praised by Opera News for her "relish and energy," mezzo-soprano Max Potter is an up-and-coming artist celebrated for her warmth of tone and dramatic presence.

This season, Max performed the world premiere of Constantine Caravassilis' song cycle Epiphany for mezzo-soprano and cello, and returned to The Muse's Creative Artistry Project for a concert series of opera classics and a gala performance at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion for Governor Asa Hutchinson. Max joins the Opera Santa Barbara Chrisman Studio Artist Program in 2021, where she intended to make her debut as Meg in Adamo's Little Women (canceled due to COVID-19) and will perform the role of Flora Bervoix in Verdi's La Traviata.

On the concert stage, she was contracted to make her symphonic debut as the Alto Soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah at The Washington National Cathedral (performances rescheduled for the 2021-22 season), to return to The Phoenix Ensemble for performances of Ned Rorem's song cycle Ariel (canceled due to COVID-19), and to present Elgar’s Sea Pictures for the Duban Recital Series (canceled due to COVID-19).

In the 2019-20 season, Max Potter was set to make company debuts with Maryland Lyric Opera as La Ciesca in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and The Chautauqua Opera Company as Jenny Reefer in Virgil Thompson's The Mother of Us All. She was to make her feature film debut as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi, with Mark Delavan starring as the title role. Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, these events were canceled or rescheduled for later seasons.

Max began the 2018-19 season with Opera Southwest, where she starred as Clarina in Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio, and covered Ortrud and sang Dritte Edelknabe in Wagner's Lohengrin. Following this engagement, she joined Salt Marsh Opera for Mozart's Die Zauberflöte as Second Lady and Papagena. The season also included the world premiere of City Life, a collection of songs by New York-based composer and poet Steve Bloom. Max made her company debut with Bare Opera as Damigella in L'incoronazione di Poppea and her role debut as Dorabella in Mozart's Così fan tutte for The North Shore Music Festival.

Highlights from past seasons include covering the role of Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. Honing her craft at Aspen Opera Center, Max performed classic roles such as Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), L'enfant (L'enfant et les sortileges), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). She covered Meg Page in Verdi's Falstaff and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. Further highlights include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Tebaldo in Verdi's Don Carlo with Vocal Productions NYC; Charlotte in Massenet's Werther with the Martha Cardona Opera; and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte) for Festival of the Arts BOCA. Other roles include Mercedes (Carmen), Concepcion (L'heure espagnole), Flora Bervoix (La Traviata), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi).

Equally at home on the concert stage, Max is passionate about collaborating with composers and bringing their new works to audiences. With New Camerata Opera, she was featured in The Sacred Feminine, an innovative performance piece celebrating the work of Emily Dickinson through spoken word and art song. At Des Moines Metro Opera, Max sang Heggie's The Breaking Waves in recital for the composer. She has been a featured soloist at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Washington National Cathedral, Festival of the Arts BOCA, and the Oklahoma International Mozart Festival. Additional concert highlights include Ravel's Shéhérazade, Mozart's Requiem and Vesperae solennes de confessore, Haydn's Sancti Nicolai Messe, Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine, and Carissimi's oratorios, Jepthe and Jonas.

She is an alumna of The Aspen Opera Center, Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Program, CoOPERAtive, The Opera Southwest Apprentice Artist Program, and New York's International Vocal Arts Institute. She is a recipient of awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, The Young Musicians Foundation, and Westminster Choir College's CoOPERAtive Program. Max has been a semi-finalist for The Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition, The Premiere Opera International Vocal Competition, The Paris Opera Competition, the Mildred Miller International Vocal Competition, and the MIOpera Vocal Competition.

Max Potter holds a Masters Degree from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, and a Bachelors of Music from Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.

Matthew Greenblatt

Brooklyn Snow

Sara E. Widzer

Stage Director Sara E. Widzer continues to produce exceptional operatic and theatre works at companies across the United States and abroad. Currently serving on faculty at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles, her guest engagements for the 2020-21 season include as director for Opera Santa Barbara’s Concert in the Car production of La Tragedié de Carmen and a directorial debut at Opera Orlando with a new production of Carmen. Ms. Widzer’s 2019-20 season included as director for the world premiere of the new opera, JUANA, based on the novel Sor Juana’s Second Dream by Alicia Gaspar de Alba with music by Carla Lucero, for Opera UCLA. Also, the US premiere of La Morte d’Orfeo in her directorial debut at Los Angeles Opera. Among her engagements cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic were Assistant Director to Sir David McVicar at Los Angeles Opera for the mainstage production of Pelléas et Mélisande and as director at Music Academy of the West for a new production of Philip Glass’ Les Enfants Terribles.

As Director: Chautauqua Opera Scenes Program; Carmen for Rochester Philharmonic; Woman of Salt for The Wildish Theatre; After Life and Letters from Quebec to Providence in the Rain for UCSB Opera and the National Opera Association and UC Santa Barbara Opera Theatre; Susannah for Pasadena Opera; The Flying Dutchman for the Hawaii Opera Theatre and Virginia Opera; The Music Man for the Royal Opera House of Oman; Le jongleur de Notre-Dame and L'elisir d'amore for Florida State Opera; Don Giovanni, Tosca, Pagliacci, and Hansel and Gretel for Opera in the Ozarks; Faust and Giulio Cesare for Celestial Opera Company; Reasons to be Pretty, Bury the Dead, Zoo Story, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Lee Strasberg Creative Center.

As Associate and Assistant Director: The Ghosts of Versailles and ¡Figaro! 90210 for Chautauqua Opera; El Gato Montes: The Wildcat for Los Angeles Opera; Madame White Snake for Beth Morrison Projects at the Hong Kong Arts Festival; Der Ring des Polykrates at the Dallas Opera, Silent Night, AIDA and The Daughter of the Regiment for Washington National Opera; The Marriage of Figaro for Music Academy of the West; The Flying Dutchman, King for a Day, and The Music Man for The Glimmerglass Festival. Ms. Widzer has worked with esteemed directors Francesca Zambello, Peter Kazaras, Tomer Zvulun, Eric Einhorn, James Darrah, Michael Counts, Robert Longbottom, Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ray Roderick, Robert Eagan, and Mark Rydell.

As an educator, Ms. Widzer is currently on faculty as acting coach and stage director at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles, CA where she has been on staff for over fifteen years. She worked with famed film and tv audition coach Crystal Carson, co-teaching Audition by Heart courses and brought Carson’s technique to film and stage actors across the country. Through her work at City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts, she taught Shakespeare classes at inner city middle schools and high schools throughout Southern California, a project which culminated in a bilingual production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream that she adapted with the Spanish title Un Sueño en Medio-Verano. On the opera stage, she has worked with members of the Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist Program, the Los Angeles Opera Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, the WNO Cafritz Young Artist Program and has also served as guest coach at El Camino College, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State University Long Beach, and Florida State University. Ms. Widzer continues to guest teach acting at studios throughout the Los Angeles area, and also maintains a roster of speaking and singing actors for whom she coaches acting and performance technique.

She received her MM in Opera Directing from Florida State University, her BA in theatre from Connecticut College and has an Artist’s Diploma in Classical Acting/Shakespeare from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in Shakespeare. Ms. Widzer makes her home in Los Angeles.

Read more at www.saraewidzer.com

Joshua Wheeker

Joshua Wheeker, a recent graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist program of LA Opera, is securing his place as an exciting lyric tenor in the opera world. The “warmth and clarity” of his voice lends itself to many of opera’s leading men, while his musical sensitivity is equally at home in recital and concert.

He was most recently seen as Tamino in LA Opera’s Kosky production of Die Zauberflöte. Prior to that, he made his debut as Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto at Opera Theater of Saint Louis. On his OTSL performances, Broadway World wrote that “his voice is so beautiful that one understands how a girl would be smitten with him.”

During his time in the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at LA Opera, his performances spanned from varying operatic roles, including Malcolm in Macbeth, Cacambo in Candide, and covering Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, to performing concert series and new works with artist-in-resident composer/conductor, Matthew Aucoin.

His concert work includes engagements with LA Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, LA Symphony, Dayton Bach Society, Colburn School of Music, Dream Orchestra, Palm Springs Opera in the Park, Opera Buffs, and Salastina Chamber Ensemble.

Joshua has received awards in several prestigious competitions. He is the recipient of the following honors: Contract winner in the Giovanni Consiglio International Competition (2020), 2nd place in Mentoris competition (2020), Winner of the Western Region MONC competition (2019), 1st place in the Pasadena Opera Guild Competition (2017), and in March of 2019 Joshua competed as a Semi-finalist in the MONC competition in New York on the Met stage.

This season Joshua will be appearing as The Duke of Mantua with Tulsa Opera in the fall, and Don Ottavio with Dayton Opera next winter. He was engaged to sing Narraboth from Salome with Hawaii Opera Theatre, but it was unfortunately canceled due to the Covid19 crisis. Joshua has also appeared with Aspen Music Festival, Kentucky Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera.

Josh is from Dayton, Ohio and received his Bachelors of Music from University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.

Finnish-American baritone Timothy Mix begins the 2019-20 season with his return to San Francisco Opera in the role of Count Capulet Romeo et Juliette, and travels to Annapolis Opera to sing the role of Scarpia Tosca. He returns to Urban Arias for performances of Glory Denied in the role of Older Thompson in Washington DC, where last season he performed the world premiere of Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi’s The Last American Hammer. Following his success in this role, the artist travels to Pittsburgh Opera for further performances as Milcom Negley. At Opera Idaho, he revives his portrayal of the title role of Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking.

Last season’s highlights included an American premiere of Alexander Zhurbin’s song cycle TSVETAEVA with the Russian Chamber Art Society and he joined Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra to sing Caliban The Tempest in Swedish under the baton of Suzanna Malkki. Tim travelled to Bergen National Opera to appear as Albert Werther and finished the season as Joseph De Rocher Dead Man Walking at Opera Delaware with great success.

Appearing at the prestigious summer festival Santa Fe Opera, Tim’s debut in 2016 as Count Capulet Romeo et Juliette under the direction of Stephen Lawless was the first of several engagements there; he returned the following season to jump into the role of Tsar Dodon in Paul Cullen’s Le Coq d’Or, and most recently sang the role of Jack Hubbard in a new production of Dr Atomic. His San Francisco Opera appearances include Le Bret Cyrano de Bergerac in 2010, Elder Ott/Blitch (c) Susannah in 2014 and de Brétigny Manon in 2017. At Opera Colorado he sang Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor, Belcore L’elisir d’Amore (also at Virginia Opera,) and Escamillo Carmen. Well-known by Opera Theatre of St Louis audiences, Tim made his role and house debut as Marcello La Boheme (also at Arizona Opera and Palm Beach Opera), and later Belcore in James Robinson’s production of The Elixir of Love.

Tim frequently appears in concert in Russian repertoire with the Russian Chamber Art Society of Washington DC, and with them recently added the title role Eugene Onegin to his repertoire. Other local engagements include the title role Rigoletto and Pere Germont La Traviata in concert with the Baltimore Concert Opera, Sharpless Madama Butterfly with Lyric Opera Baltimore and his engagements with Washington National Opera include Renato Un Ballo in Maschera as well as Ford Falstaff, a role he also sang at New York City Opera. Returning to NYCO, a highlight of his career was winning the company’s Christopher Keene award for Excellence as Edward Gaines Margaret Garner.

Other US successes include his appearance at Opera Delaware in the role of Claudius Amleto by Franco Faccio, and a role debut of Amonasro Aida with Opera Southwest. He joined the Bard Music Festival as the baritone soloist and narrator for Ginastera’s Estancia, conducted by Leon Botstein. Tim sang the title role Don Giovanni at Opera Grand Rapids, and at Opera Southwest. Tim’s international engagements include Escamillo at Finnish National Opera.

Tim has a broad repertoire of Finnish song which he presents in recital, and his concert appearances include Verdi’s Requiem with The Florida Orchestra, Carmina Burana with Oregon Symphony, and with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic he sang the role of Ping Turandot in concert.

Isaac Frishman

Tenor Isaac Frishman was recently praised for his “quick-witted stage antics” and a voice described as “truly sweet and graceful” (Broadway World) and during his recent performances as Prince Ramiro in Winter Opera St Louis' La cenerentola was praised as “a true Rossini tenor with fine coloratura and great high notes” (St. Louis Post). Mr. Frishman will join Chicago Opera Theater in their workshop of Dan Shore’s Freedom Ride and during the summer of 2019, Mr. Frishman will make his New York City debut with Teatro Nuovo, singing the role of Osburgo in Bellini’s La straniera and the tenor solo in Rossini’s Stabat Mater and covering the role of Giannetto in Rossini’s La gazza ladra. In the fall of 2019, Mr. Frishman will debut the role of Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Painted Sky Opera, and in 2020, Mr. Frishman will make four company debuts: Tonio in La fille du régiment with Winter Opera Saint Louis, Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Pacific Northwest Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and Beadle in Sweeney Todd with Utah Festival Opera. During the 2020-2021 season, Mr. Frishman will join Amarillo Opera as Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Opera Santa Barbara for Laurie in Little Women and Tonio in La fille du regiment.

In the summer of 2018, Mr. Frishman made his Spoleto Festival debut as Ghino, in the U.S. premiere of Donizetti’s Pia de’Tolomei. During the 2016-2017 season, Mr. Frishman joined the Sanford Studio Artist Program at Kentucky Opera where his assignments included singing the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos and covering Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia.

In previous seasons, Mr. Frishman has joined the prestigious young artist programs such as Merola Opera, Opera Iowa, Chautauqua Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. His recent roles performed or covered include Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Pong in Turandot, and Henrik in A Little Night Music.

Equally adept on the concert stage, Mr. Frishman recently has sang as the tenor soloist in performances of Orff's Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Cantata BWV 131, and the Monteverdi Vespers.?

Mr. Frishman holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master’s degree in vocal performance from Michigan State University. Mr. Frishman is a current semi-finalist in the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition and was a Semi-Finalist in the 2017 Premier International Opera Competition, the winner of the Grace Keagy Award for Outstanding Vocal promise from the Lotte Lenya Foundation and the third prize winner of the 2019 Harold Haugh Competition. Mr. Frishman is a student of Metropolitan Opera tenor, Richard Fracker.

Emily Senturia

Praised for her ability to “draw a rich and beautiful sound,” Emily Senturia is quickly earning recognition as a talented opera conductor capable of leading a wide spectrum of repertoire. In 2018, Senturia made her mainstage debut with Houston Grand Opera conducting Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by her Kennedy Center debut leading the same piece for Washington National Opera, and her West Coast debut leading Mata Hari for West Edge Opera. In the same year she was selected by The Dallas Opera to participate in the Hart Institute for Women Conductors for the 18-19 season, and in the spring of 2019, made her Hawaii Opera Theater debut leading La traviata and led a workshop of a world premiere for San Francisco Opera, and made her Wolf Trap Opera mainstage debut conducting Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. This season, Senturia returns to Opera Philadelphia as music director for the world premiere of Denis & Katya, makes her Boston Lyric Opera debut conducting Fellow Travelers, makes her Florida Grand Opera debut conducting Il matrimonio segreto, conducts the Mill City Summer Opera’s production of Rigoletto, and joins On-Site Opera as music director for their production of Das Barbecu.

After graduating from the HGO Studio, Senturia joined the HGO music staff during which time she conducted performances of L’elisir d’amore, The Little Prince, and The Magic Flute. Recently, Senturia has been on the music staff at The Atlanta Opera (Sweeney Todd), Opera Philadelphia (O17 Festival and O18 Festival), and at Wolf Trap Opera where she has conducted two Studio Spotlight programs.

In 2017, Senturia conducted Iolanthe with Savoynet Performing Group at the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival before joining the music staff at Opera Philadelphia for productions of Elizabeth Cree and War Stories as part of their inaugural festival, O17. She covered Alcina at Washington National Opera, led La liberazione di Ruggiero for the inaugural project of Opera X, a company devoted to promoting operas by female composers, and finished her season coaching Sweeney Todd for The Atlanta Opera.

Senturia’s training includes studies at the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Wolf Trap Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Royal Academy of Music in London. She studied orchestral conducting at Indiana University and Boston University, and violin at Rice University.

Jana McIntyre

…Jana McIntyre continues to forge a path for herself with her “dancer’s grace, mercurial wit, and vibrant soprano tone” (Opera News). “With movie star looks and the poise to match, she has everything it takes to make it to the top.” (Opera Wire).

The 2021-2022 season sees Jana in her first title role debuts as Semele in Semele in a return to Opera Santa Barbara as well as Aminta for a new production of Die Schweigsame Frau with Bard SummerScape Festival. Workshop and concerts of recently written music rounded out her season. With the Rally Cat in New York City, she created the role of Marianne in recording and workshop of Aferidan Stephens and Marella Martin Koch’s Elinor and Marianne based on the Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility. She also performed in chamber concert with Jerod impichchaachaaha Tate and Tulsa’s Signature Symphony.

Ms. McIntyre was lucky to perform through the pandemic singing Norina in Don Pasquale for her hometown debut with Opera Santa Barbara as well as joining the rosters of Palm Beach Opera (Die Zauberflöte) and Tulsa Opera (Rigoletto). She was scheduled to make company debuts with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Canadian Opera Company among other notable returns to theaters which have been postponed/canceled due to the pandemic.

She was recently named a George London Foundation top prize winner as well as a Metropolitan Opera National Council grand finalist. She performed Ännchen in Heart Beat Opera’s new production of Der Freischütz and joined Santa Fe Opera for their workshop of the completed version of M. Butterfly in New York City and for whom she was to return as Sister 1 in Mark Adamo and John Corgliano’s newly commissioned Lord of Cries which was canceled last March. She also debuted with the Sacramento Philharmonic singing from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro as Despina and Susanna in their “Mozart Favorites” Concert.

Some career highlights include critical acclaim for her portrayal of Andromède in the American premiere of Ibert’s Persée et Andromède which made the New York Times “Best Classical Music of 2016;” her professional debut as the Amore in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice alongside Anthony Roth Costanzo and Kiera Duffy in an installment of “Orphic Moments” with Brooklyn’s National Sawdust Theater under the baton of Matthew Aucoin; as well as performing in the west coast premiere of Jonathan Scheffer’s Blood on the Dining Room Floor (Rose 1) at age 19.

Miss McIntyre won first prize in the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Competition which gave her the opportunity to travel to Buenos Aires to sing a series of concerts at various venues including El Salon Dorado at the Teatro Colón. She is an award winner from the Jensen Foundation, Giulio Gari Foundation, George London Foundation, Art Song Preservation Society, Metropolitan National Council, among others. She is a Richard F. Gold grant recipient from the Shoshana Foundation, and the winner of the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition at Manhattan School of Music.

Jana has been an apprentice with Tulsa Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Merola Opera Program. She did her academic work at the University of California, Los Angeles in Psychology (B.A.) and Music (B.A.). She received her Masters in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

Andrew Potter

Andrew Potter, bass has garnered increasing demand across the country for his larger than life stage presence and voice to match. Of his recent performance in L’elisir d’amore, Opera Today hailed, “With his huge, all-encompassing bass voice and precise comic timing he nearly stole the show.” This past summer, Potter performed the role of The Bonze in Madama Butterfly with St. Petersburg Opera, reprised the role of Hunding in Die Walküre with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, sang Vodnik in Rusalka with Steamboat Opera, and performed Escamillo in Carmen with Mid-Ohio Opera. Upcoming engagements include Prince Gremen in Eugene Onegin with Livermore Valley Opera, Poo-Bah in Mikado with Opera Grand Rapids, Sulpice in Daughter of the Regiment with Winter Opera St. Louis, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Indianapolis Opera, Ramfis in Aïda with Raylynmore Opera, and Pastor Avery in Tobias Picker’s Emmeline with Tulsa Opera.

Recent engagements have included Osmin in Die Entführung with Opera Orlando, Colline in La bohème with Anchorage Opera and Indianapolis Opera, his Tulsa Opera début as The King in The Little Prince, Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Pacific Opera Project, Dr. Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Winter Opera St. Louis, Fafner in Das Rheingold and Colline in La bohème with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, the role of Death in the world premiére of Rick Sowash’s Death and the Everyman and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte with Mid-Ohio Opera, and Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and Ferrando in Il trovatore with Southern Illinois Music Festival.

Additionally, Andrew has performed across the country proficiently demonstrating the vocal power and sonority to sing such roles as Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, the range and physicality to perform buffo roles like Don Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Alfonso in Cosi? fan tutte, Don Magnifico in Cenerentola; and the flexibility and agility to sing challenging Handelian roles including Zoroastro in Orlando, Ariodate in Serse, and Argante in Rinaldo.

With years of studying under renowned teachers such as Rick Christman, Braeden Harris, and Kenneth Shaw; Andrew became a standout in mainstage roles at several of the nation’s most prestigious Young Artist programs such as Des Moines Metro Opera, St. Petersburg Emerging Artist Program, and the Tyler Young Artist Program.

Kyle Lang

Kyle Lang’s directing credits include Carmen (San Diego Opera), L'elisir d'amore (Virginia Opera), Die Fledermaus (Utah Opera), Lucia di Lammermoor (Virginia Opera), The Pirates of Penzance (Intermountain Opera Bozeman), Mame (Seagle Music Colony), As One (San Diego Opera), The Pirates of Penzance (Associate - San Diego Opera), The Bear (Wexford Festival Opera), La bohème (Virginia Opera),Die Zauberflöte (Seagle Music Colony), Don Quixote and the Duchess (Central City Opera), L’enfant et les sortilège and Gianni Schicchi (Simpson College), Dead Man Walking (Opera Fayetteville), Apprentice Showcase (Santa Fe Opera), The Face on the Barroom Floor (Tulsa Opera), and Short Works (Central City Opera).

His choreographic credits include Ariadne auf Naxos (Santa Fe Opera), My Fair Lady (Teatro San Carlo), Die Fledermaus (Utah Opera), Vanessa (Wexford Festival Opera), Turandot (Virginia Opera), The Merry Widow (Boston Lyric Opera), The Merry Widow (Utah Opera), La Traviata (Fort Worth Opera), Jen?fa (Des Moines Metro Opera), The Last Savage (Indiana University), Sweeney Todd (Virginia Opera), La Traviata (Des Moines Metro Opera), Ariadne auf Naxos (Virginia Opera), Carmen (Opera Omaha), Falstaff (Virginia Opera), Le Nozze di Figaro (Virginia Opera), Die Fledermaus (Opera Memphis), and La Traviata (Lyric Opera Baltimore).

Kyle has assistant directed for Santa Fe Opera, San Diego Opera, Virginia Opera, Utah Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, and Indiana University.

His performing credits as a professional dancer include ZviDance, The Metropolitan Opera, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington National Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and with Christopher K. Morgan, performing in countries across Europe, South America, and the Middle East. He pursued music studies at the University of Southern Mississippi before earning a BFA in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His home is currently in Washington, DC.

Raúl Melo

Tenor Raúl Melo has enjoyed a career performing some of the most demanding roles of the Italian and French repertoire across four continents. His international career began when he was awarded the prize of “Best Lyric Tenor” in the 1992 Alfredo Kraus Competition, a prize personally bestowed upon Mr. Melo by the late great Spanish tenor. Beginning in the lyric repertoire, Mr. Melo’s repertoire has expanded to embrace the great heroic Verdi and Puccini roles: Carlo DON CARLO, Rodolfo LUISA MILLER, Alvaro LA FORZA DEL DESTINO; des Grieux MANON LESCAUT, Cavaradossi TOSCA, Dick Johnson LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, and Calàf TURANDOT.

For nine seasons Mr. Melo has been a regularly invited guest artist with the Metropolitan Opera. He made his MET debut in 2005 as Duca RIGOLETTO and was heard in a 2008 Sirius Metropolitan Opera Radio live broadcast as Pinkerton MADAMA BUTTERFLY. His other MET responsibilities have included covering the lead tenor roles in LA DAMNATION DE FAUST, HAMLET, ROMÉO ET JULIETTE, and LA RONDINE, as well as four Verdi titles: LA TRAVIATA, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, RIGOLETTO, I VESPRI SICILIANI, and DON CARLO, the last of which he covered during the MET’s 2011 tour to Japan. Mr. Melo also joined members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for the 2011 New York premiere of Allen Shawn’s work Hide Not Thy Face.

Mr. Melo has also been a frequent guest with other New York opera companies. For New York City Opera, Mr. Melo has performed such leading roles as Cavaradossi TOSCA, Pinkerton MADAMA BUTTERFLY, and Araquil in Massenet’s rarely-performed yet thrilling LA NAVARRAISE. For Teatro Grattacielo, which presents rarely-heard verismo operas in concert form, Mr. Melo has performed Vassili in Giordano’s SIBERIA, the King in the New York premiere of Franco Alfano’s SAKÙNTALA, Giosta Berling in Zandonai’s I CAVALIERI DI EKEBÙ, Gennaro in Wolf-Ferrari’s I GIOIELLI DELLA MADONNA, and Osaka in Mascagni’s IRIS. In recent seasons, Mr. Melo has displayed impressive stylistic breadth with his role debuts as both Turiddu CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and Canio PAGLIACCI, performing both in the same evenings (Amarillo Opera). Other North American companies with which Mr. Melo has performed include Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Manitoba Opera, and Opéra de Québec.

Mahri Kerley

Dylan Minor

Sarah Vautour

American soprano, Sarah Vautour, is in her second year as a Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist, and returned to the LA Opera stage in the 19/20 season as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and covered Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème. In May, Ms. Vautour will sing the role of Barbarina in their new production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, led by Maestro James Conlon and director James Gray.

This summer Ms. Vautour joins the Aspen Theater and Vocal ARTS program as an inaugural member of the Renée Fleming Young Artist Program. In Aspen, Ms. Vautour will appear in numerous recitals as well as in the role of Erste Dame in their production of Die Zauberflöte, under the baton of Maestro Patrick Summers and the direction of Edward Berkeley.

Last summer, Ms. Vautour joined Teatro Nuovo for their summer season as a Resident Artist to cover the title role in Bellini’s La straniera. Additionally, she made her Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut as the soprano soloist in Mahler’s Das klagende Lied with the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus and Maestro James Conlon.

Ms. Vautour made her LA opera debut as the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel under the baton of Maestro James Conlon. Ms. Vautour’s other assignments during the 18/19 season included covering both the Celestial Voice in Verdi's Don Carlos and Gretel in Hänsel and Gretel, and appearing as Zipporah/ Voice of God in the world premiere of Henry Mollicone’s Moses. She came to LA Opera following a summer as an Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro Opera, where she covered Adele in Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus.

Ms. Vautour earned her Master of Music from Rice University and a Bachelor of Music from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Her notable engagements include the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda and Morgana in Handel’s Alcina with CCM Opera d’arte, as well as Rose Maurrant in Street Scene with Harrower Summer Opera Workshop. Ms. Vautour made her Aspen Music Festival debut in the role of Mozart and Donna Anna in Stephen Stucky’s The Classical Style, under the baton of Maestro Robert Spano.

In the 2017/2018 season, Ms. Vautour appeared under the baton of Maestro Thomas Jaber as the soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria, and again, later, with the Houston Masterworks Chorus as the soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Suzanna Guzman

Suzanna Guzmán, mezzo soprano, is a native of East Los Angeles. An original Associate Artists of Los Angeles Opera, she has performed with them as a principal artist in over 40 main stage productions including Isaura (Tancredi) Cornelia (Giulio Cesare) Mrs Sedley (Peter Grimes) Mrs. Fox (Fantastic Mr. Fox-world premiere) Marcellina (Marriage of Figaro) La Gitana (El Gato Montes) Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) Empress Maria (Nicolas and Alexandra- world premiere) and working with opera legends Plácido Domingo, Mtislav Rostropovich, Galina Vishneskaya, Marilyn Horne, Alfredo Krouse, Patricia Racette, Renee Fleming, James Conlon, just to name a few.

She made her operatic debut in 1984-85 season with San Diego Opera as Emiia in Verdi's Otello and has worked with many opera companies around the world including Houston Grand Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Ludiwigshafen Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera de Geneve, Dresden Opera, Opera Montepelier, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Edinburgh Festival, and Opera de Nice.

Guzmán reached international attention for her portrayal of the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. Hailed by TIME magazine as “A fire-eating singing actress, devastatingly sexy!”, the role became her signature role sung to acclaim in over 200 performances around the globe. A champion of original works, she has created and appeared in lead roles in new operas notably by Jake Heggie, Daniel Catan, Giancarlo Menotti, Ian Krouse, Tobias Picker, Deborah Dratell. Her many awards and honors for music include a Grammy nod for the 2006 Best Classical recording of Carlos Chávez: Volume III with Southwest Chamber and Mexico's Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitor at the Kennedy Center directed by composer Giancarlo Menotti, first place winner of San Francisco competition, Guild Opera and National finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National competition.

An advocate of Arts Education she continues to perform her one-woman show, Don’t Be Afraid; It’s Just Opera! across the United States reaching over 200,000 inner-city students to date, and is widely recognized for her mentorship to California students.

Aubrey Trujillo-Scarr

Melania Taylor Burgess

Constantinos Kritikos

Wendy Castellanos-Wolf

Constance Hoffmann

François-Pierre Couture

Opera News praises Corey Bix for his “clear sense of drama and self-possession, exhibiting sturdy, unwavering control, flinty resonance and confident high notes.” In the 2017-18 season, he makes his Canadian Opera Company debut as Elemer in Arabella. Last season, he returned to Virginia Opera for his first performances of Max in Der Freischütz, the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Énée and Helenus in Les Troyens, and joined the Metropolitan Opera roster for its production of Der fliegende Holländer. He recently returned to San Francisco Opera as Augustin Moser in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and also for its production of Jen?fa, joined Virginia Opera as Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, Austin Lyric Opera to reprise his acclaimed portrayal of Lennie in Of Mice and Men, and sang Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at the Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico City.

Mr. Bix recently made a triumphant role debut as Énée in Les Troyens with San Francisco Opera. His other recent performances include his European debut and return to Greek National Opera as the Prince in Rusalka with Greek National Opera and the title role of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex; Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with Washington National Opera, Vienna Volksoper, Fort Worth Opera, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and The Glimmerglass Festival; Erik in Der fliegende Holländer with Los Angeles Opera, Hungarian National Opera, and Arizona Opera; Kaiser in Die Frau ohne Schatten with Oper Graz; Walther in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with Theater Kiel; the title role of Flotow’s Alessandro Stradella with the Stadttheater Giesen; Heinrich in Tannhäuser; in addition to joining the Teatro alla Scala and Savonlinna Festival for their productions of Lohengrin and the Cleveland Orchestra for its tour of Daphne. He has sung both Florestan in Fidelio and Lennie in Of Mice and Men with Utah Opera and Tulsa Opera, Sir Edgar Aubry in Der Vampyr with New Orleans Opera, Aegisth in Elektra with Des Moines Metro Opera, and Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Anchorage Opera. He sang the First Senator in Die Gezeichneten while covering the role of Albiano under the baton of James Conlon at Los Angeles Opera and joined San Francisco Opera for the Fourth Jew in Salome. With Santa Fe Opera he covered Yonas in Saariaho’s Adriana Mater, the title role of Lucio Silla, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and sang Dr. Caius in Falstaff and the Second Jew in Salome. His other recent performances include Don Jose in Carmen with the Aspen Opera Theater with Julius Rudel conducting as well as with the Glacier Symphony in Montana, Tamino in the workshop of the family version of Die Zauberflöte with the Metropolitan Opera, and Sam in Susannah with New York Opera Projects.

Mr. Bix joined the American Symphony Orchestra for Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3, Pharaoh in Dessau’s Hagadah shel Pessach, and Pheobus de Chateuoers in Schmidt’s Notre Dame, the Cathedral Choral Society for Janá?ek’s Glagolitic Mass at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., and Palm Beach Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem. At the Bard Music Festival, he sang excerpts of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in concert along with a recital of German and joined the Wagner Society of Washington D.C. for a concert that included excerpts of Siegmund in Die Walküre and Walther in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He sang the Fourth Jew in concert performances of Salome with Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He presented a recital with soprano Lauren Flanigan under the auspices of the George London Foundation at the Morgan Library as well as solo programs for the Wagner Society of New York and at his alma mater of Simpson College.

Mr. Bix is the 2008 winner of the Robert Lauch Memorial Grant from the Wagner Society of New York and the 2007 winner of the George London/Kirsten Flagstad Award for a singer with potential for a Wagnerian career as well as the foundation’s prestigious Vienna Prize. Additionally, he has been a prizewinner in both the New England and Southeast regions of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He is a former member of the apprentice programs of the Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera and earned a Master of Music from New England Conservatory and his Bachelor of Music from Simpson College.

www.coreybix.com

Wayne Tigges

Wayne Tigges (Bass-Baritone) is quickly establishing himself as one of the bright young stars in the opera world today. He has sung at many of the great opera houses of the world including: The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Paris Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera del Liceu, LA Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and the Teatro du Capitol Toulouse, among others. Mr. Tigges Enjoys a strong relationship with the Lyric Opera of Chicago (12 roles with the company), San Francisco Opera (10 roles with the company), and the Santa Fe Opera (7 roles with the company). In addition, he will be making his debuts at Philadelphia Opera, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Palm Beach Opera, Edmonton Opera, and the Des Moines Metro Opera in the near future. Mr. Tigges has appeared with many of the great orchestras of the world including: the NY Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Lukes, among others. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, Pierre Boulez, Nello Santi, Bruno Bartoletti, Sir Mark Elder, James Conlon, Alan Gilbert, Esa Pekka Salonen, Christoph Eschenbach, Stephan Deneve, and Harry Bicket. Mr. Tigges repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, Bach's St. John's Passion, Bach's St. Matthew's Passion, Haydn's Creation, Mozart's Requiem and Mass in C minor, Mendelsohnn's Elijah, Stravinsky's Les Noces and Rossignol, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Neilson's Symphony #3, and Zemlinsky's Psalm #3. Lauded by the Chicago Sun Times for his "rich, dark, and beautiful legato, Mr. Tigges is equally at home doing roles that require vocal acrobats, (roles in Handel, Rossini Opera), and roles that require significantly more heft (Wagner, Strauss, Verdi). He has been involved in 7 world premieres, and has over 60 roles in his repertoire.

He created the role of Joe St. George in the world premiere of Picker’s Dolores Claiborne with San Francisco Opera; sang Escamillo in Carmen at the Glyndebourne Festival and with San Diego Opera; Kolenaty in The Makropolous Case with the Opéra National de Paris; and Ariodate in Xerxes, Sam and Wesley in the world premiere of Theofanidis’ Heart of a Soldier, Ariodate in Xerxes and Zuniga in Carmen with San Francisco Opera. He sang Achilla in Giulio Cesare in his Metropolitan Opera debut and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago the following season for further performances of the role as well as Basilio in The Barber of Seville. Mr. Tigges enjoys a strong relationship with the Lyric Opera of Chicago where he sang the title role in The Marriage of Figaro to great critical acclaim while still a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center (formerly Lyric Opera Center for American Artists). Also with the company, he sang Snook in Bolcom’s A Wedding, Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, Angelotti in Tosca, Sam in Un Ballo in Maschera, and Bonze in Madama Butterfly.

Praised for her “thrilling vocal color” and “sweetly winning” presence, American soprano Anya Matanovic made her international opera debut as Musetta in Franco Zeffirelli’s captivating production of Puccini’s La bohème with the New Israeli Opera’s. In her debut with the Glimmerglass Festival as Micaëla, she was praised for her “sinuous soprano with its golden timbre and silky-smooth legato, [which] charmed the ears immediately…” and “first-class performance” (David Abrams, Musical Criticism).

Praised for her “thrilling vocal color” and “sweetly winning” presence, American soprano Anya Matanovic (ma ta’ no vich) made her international opera debut as Musetta in Franco Zeffirelli’s captivating production of Puccini’s La bohème with the New Israeli Opera. In her debut with the Glimmerglass Festival as Micaëla, she was praised for her “sinuous soprano with its golden timbre and silky-smooth legato, [which] charmed the ears immediately…” and “first-class performance” (David Abrams, Musical Criticism).

This season sees the soprano make her company and role debut as Mimi in La bohème with Opera Colorado, and debut with the Eugene Concert Choir for Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. Next season, she will return to Utah Opera, and make her debut with the North Carolina Symphony. The 2016-2017 season began with an anticipated return to Seattle Opera, as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. The season also included notable role debuts, including Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progresswith Boston Lyric Opera, and Mabel in Pirates of Penzance with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. She also appeared in concert with the Cleveland Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony for Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ms. Matanovic’s 2015-2016 season featured a debut with New Orleans Opera as Adele in Die Fledermaus.

The 2014-2015 season brought anticipated role debuts for Ms. Matanovic, as Violetta in La traviata with Boston Lyric Opera, as well as Stella in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire in a return to Kentucky Opera. In the 2013-2014 season the soprano debuted with Opera Memphis, as Gilda in Rigoletto, Arizona Opera, for Musetta in La bohème, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, for Carmina Burana under Alastair Willis, and made a return to the Boston Youth Symphony, as Pamina in The Magic Flute.

During the 2012-2013 season, Anya Matanovic returned to Seattle Opera for Marzelline in Fidelio, and was praised for her “crystalline” and “substantial” tone (Seen and Heard International). She made her role debut as Gilda in Rigoletto with Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and sang Pamina with both the Crested Butte Music Festival and Utah Opera. She closed the season as Wanda in a new production of Offenbach’s The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein with Santa Fe Opera.

In the 2010-2011 season, Anya Matanovic essayed her first Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Madison Opera, returned to Seattle Opera for Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, reprised the role of Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Utah Opera, and made her anticipated role and company debut with the Glimmerglass Festival as Micaëla in Carmen, conducted by Music Director David Angus.

The 2009 – 2010 season saw Ms. Matanovic‘s company debut as Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Kentucky Opera, her official stage debut with Seattle Opera, as Nannetta in Falstaff, an appearance at Madison Opera’s “Opera in the Park”, and her debut with the Richmond Symphony as the soprano soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana.

In the fall of 2008, Ms. Matanovic made her Opera Cleveland debut as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, conducted by Artistic Director Dean Williamson, and returned for their spring production of Verdi’s Falstaff as Nannetta. In summer of 2009, she joined the Seattle Opera artist roster for their internationally revered production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed by Stephen Wadsworth.

Other notable engagements include New York City Opera, as Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen, as well as productions of Massenet’s Cendrillon, La bohème, and Purcell’s King Arthur, and Santa Fe Opera, as a “pert, appealing” Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.

Ms. Matanovic is a graduate of the Seattle Opera Young Artist Program, where she appeared in their productions of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, as Flora, Mozart’s La Serva Padrona, as Serpina, and Falstaff, as Nannetta.

Anya Matanovic made her professional opera debut, directly from her undergraduate studies, as Mimì in the Los Angeles commercial engagement of Baz Luhrmann’s Tony Award-winning production of La bohème. She appeared in University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music productions of The Crucible, Gianni Schicchi, and Hänsel und Gretel.

Ms. Matanovic is equally comfortable on the concert stage, having appeared with the Portland (OR) Chamber Orchestra, Hoku Concert Series in Hawaii, the Palm Springs Orchestra and the Music of Remembrance Concert Series in Seattle. Ms. Matanovic was also a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has been a prizewinner in competitions sponsored by such institutions as the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Opera Buffs, Leni Fe Bland, and the Sun Valley Opera.She is a co-founder of NachtMusik, an operatic outreach group dedicated to bringing opera to the many different communities of Los Angeles.

Anya was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Issaquah, Washington to a Slovenian-born father and an American mother. The soprano, her husband, television writer John P. Roche, and their daughter, Zara, spend their time between Vermont, Los Angeles and New York.

www.anyamatanovic.com

Nandani Maria Sinha

Mezzo-soprano Nandani Maria Sinha is an acclaimed performer of German and Indian descent. Born in the United States, Nandani began her formal training in in Germany before returning to the US, where she earned degrees from Cornell University and California State University at Los Angeles. Nandani began the 2017 - 18 season with the Los Angeles Opera Chorus in Beth Morrison Project's production of The Hubble Cantata by Paola Prestini. For Music at Westwood this season, she serves as the Alto Soloist in the Bach Magnificat, Handel's Messiah, and Dvorak's Mass in D. She also sang the Old Lady in Candide for LA Opera's series for educators and was a featured ensemble member for their production of Jack Perla’s Jonah and the Whale. She finishes the season with concert performances of Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with Palisades Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Bernstein selections with the California Philharmonic. She will also be seen as the Wardrobe in 5 Star Theatricals’ production of Beauty and the Beast, which also stars members of the original Broadway cast. Nandani made her debut with Opera Santa Barbara as La maestra della novizie in Suor Angelica, and returned for recent productions of The Cunning Little Vixen and La Rondine. Other recent highlights include the title role in La Cenerentola (Repertory Opera Company), Amneris in Aida (Marina Del Rey Symphony), The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Malibu Coast Chamber Opera), Mrs. Ott in Susannah (Opera Pasadena), and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Repertory Opera Company. Ms. Sinha has also been a frequent soloist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, and a recitalist in London, France, Austria and Germany. Additionally, she has presented recitals throughout South Africa for the No.1 Ladies’ Opera Festival. A great proponent of new music, Nandani has sung in the world premieres of multiple compositions by Annenberg Foundation Composition Fellow Maria Newman. Recently, she premiered the role of Lily and Our Lady in the musical Golden with music written by Grammy Award Winner Nathan Wang for the Paderewski Cycle Competition. Ms. Sinha was the first-prize winner in the 2012 Franz Liszt International Competition, and in 2014 she earned two additional International Prizes from the same organization, including a special award for “Best Vocal Interpretation of a Work by Franz Liszt.” Nandani was a winner of the Hollywood Opera Reading Club Vocal Scholarship Competition and has been a recipient of scholarships from the Opera Buffs and Celestial Opera. In 2013 and 2014, she was a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow at Songfest, where she worked closely with William Bolcom, John Musto, Jake Heggie, Libby Larsen, Susanne Mentzer, Margo Garrett, and Martin Katz.

www.mezzonani.com

Ashley Kay Armstrong

Samuel Ramey

For almost three decades, Samuel Ramey has reigned as one of the music world’s foremost interpreters of bass and bass-baritone operatic and concert repertoire. Over the course of his career, he has demonstrated astounding versatility, singing roles ranging from Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo, which was the vehicle of his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut in 1984, to the dramatic proclamations of the title role in Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle, which he sang in a new production at the Metropolitan Opera televised by PBS. Mr. Ramey’s interpretations embrace the bel canto of Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti; the lyric and dramatic roles of Mozart and Verdi; and the heroic roles of the Russian and French repertoire. In recent seasons, he has been seen at the Metropolitan Opera as Timur in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Turandot. Other recent engagements include Don Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Rambaldo (La Rondine), and Pope Leo at the Met; Claudius (Hamlet) with Washington National Opera; Scarpia (Tosca) at Deutsche Oper Berlin; Méphistophélès in Nice; and the Grand Inquisitore (Don Carlos) with Houston Grand Opera. Mr. Ramey is well-known for his portrayals of devils and villains; Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust has become his most-performed role with over 200 performances in more than twenty productions. He is equally well-known throughout the world for his performances of Boito’s Mefistofele, including over 70 performances in the Robert Carsen production of this work specifically created for Mr. Ramey. He has also sung many performances of Berlioz’ devil in La damnation de Faust and the sinister Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. In 1996 Mr. Ramey presented a sold-out concert at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall titled "A Date with the Devil" in which he sang fourteen arias representing the core of this repertoire, and he continues to tour this pro gram throughout the world. Throughout his career, Samuel Ramey has appeared on all the world's greatest stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Vienna Staatsoper, Opéra de Paris, Arena di Verona, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro la Fenice, Teatro Colon, and the operas of Munich, Hamburg, Geneva, Florence, Zürich and Amsterdam, among others. He has worked with major conductors including Claudio Abbado, the late Leonard Bernstein, James Conlon, Sir Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Kent Nagano, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Julius Rudel, the late Sir Georg Solti, and the late Herbert von Karajan. Samuel Ramey holds the distinction of being the most recorded bass in history. His more than eighty recordings include complete operas, recordings of arias, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums on every major label. In 1998 the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters. Mr. Ramey is a native of Colby, Kansas.

Stage Director Alison Moritz’s recent productions have been lauded as “about as gorgeous and accessible as any opera anywhere” (The Commercial Appeal), and her work has been praised for its “incredible economy of resources, lean production design, and eye for jest and banter” by The Orlando Examiner.

A “rising young star on the contemporary American opera scene” (89.5 Tulsa), Ms. Moritz’s diverse projects for 2017-2018 include the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s newest opera Proving Up (Washington National Opera, AOI), as well as new productions of Orpheus in the Underworld (New Orleans Opera), Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Madison Opera), Trouble in Tahiti (Opera Santa Barbara), and a genre-bending triple bill of rarities for Bard Conservatory (Pulcinella, Full Moon in March, and Svadba). This season, Ms. Moritz also directs a new staging of Madama Butterfly (Syracuse Opera), collaborates with IlluminArts to profile artist Ana Mendieta, joins the Santa Fe Opera directing staff, and continues ongoing collaborations with the Resonant Bodies Festival and The Knights.

Alison’s exciting 2016-2017 season included several innovative productions of American operas: The Manchurian Candidate (Austin Opera), Candide (Orlando Philharmonic), The Tender Land (Crane School of Music), Our Town (Townsend Opera, Fresno Grand Opera), Hydrogen Jukebox (Tri-Cities Opera), Cabildo, and Gallantry (Central City Opera). Recently, the Austin Chronicle named Alison’s production of The Manchurian Candidate the #1 Classical Music/Dance event of 2016, and the production received seven Austin Critic’s Award Nominations and four wins (including “Best Opera Production”).

Previously, Alison served as the Resident Assistant Director at both the Minnesota Opera and The Atlanta Opera. Her professional credits include engagements with Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Memphis, and Chautauqua Opera. As a teacher and guest director, Alison has taught at Eastman School of Music, Maryland Opera Studio, Crane School of Music, and for Steven Blier and Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Stars program.

Alison continues both her acting training and administrative interests and has worked and trained with companies such as the SITI Company of New York City, OPERA America, Geva Theatre Center, Third Rail Projects, Nautilus Music Theater, and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. She holds a B.A. in Music and Art History from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.M. from Eastman School of Music, and was the recipient of the 2015-2016 recipient of the SDCF/Kurt Weill Foundation Fellowship. Alison is based in New York City and St. Louis, Missouri.

J. Gordon Schontzler *

Jonathan Walker-VanKuren

Denise DeBellefeuille

Cassandra Zoe Velasco

Andrew Bidlack

Featured by Opera News as one of their 'top 25 brilliant young artists' (October 2015), tenor Andrew Bidlack began the 2016-17 Season at Dallas Opera where he prepares two new roles: Lensky in Eugene Onegin and Greenhorn/Ishmael in Moby. He develops the role of Christopher Morcom in The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing (by Justine Chen and David Simpatico) for American Lyric Theater, and travels to Madison Opera for the role of Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. Also in Madison he performs with the Madison Symphony Orchestra Principle Organist in a program of arias from Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and other opera favorites. He reprises Rob Hall in a concert performance of Joby Talbot's Everest at Dallas Opera, and Getry's rarely heard opera Zémire et Azor makes great use of the artist's flexible coloratura when he sings the title role at Saratoga Opera.

Recent highlights include his European and UK debut in the challenging role of Private John Ball in In Parenthesis, Welsh National Opera's world-premiere by Iain Bell, directed by David Poutney and conducted by Carlo Rizzi with performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; and his Metropolitan Opera of New York debut as Beppe in I pagliacci, where he also sang the Lamplighter while covering Edmondo Manon in Lescaut for which he won critical accolades. At Arizona Opera he joined the production of Florencia en el Amazonas as Arcadio.

Bidlack is a frequent interpreter of contemporary music; he created the roles of Rob Hall in Joby Talbot's Everest at Dallas Opera and that of Irving Tashman in Ricky Ian Gordon's Morning Star at Cincinnati Opera. He workshopped Greenhorn/Ishmael in the developmental production of Moby Dick at San Francisco Opera while he was an Adler Fellow and inaugurated Tandcredi in The Inspector (John Musto) at Wolf Trap. As a Merolino, he created the role of Charles Carter in Thomas Pasatieri's The Hotel Casablanca. Making his debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago, he appeared at Carnegie Hall as The Young Collector in their production of A Streetcar Named Desire with Renée Fleming, a role he also sang in Chicago. At Dallas Opera, he sang Sandy in The Lighthouse for the inception of their Chamber Opera Series.

With a large number of Rossini/Mozart and bel canto roles also to his credit, Andrew has appeared as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Ferrando in Così fan tutte at Florida Grand Opera; Rodrigo in Rossini's Otello at Opera Southwest; Almaviva and Don Ramiro La cenerentola at Opera Omaha; Tonio in La fille du régiment at Palm Beach Opera and PORTopera; Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at San Francisco Opera; Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore at Empire State Lyric Theater; and Bastien in Bastien and Bastienna at Des Moines Metro Opera.

Josh Shaw

Named as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Innovators in Classical Music, Josh Shaw is the Executive and Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Project (POP), which has been described as "L.A.'s most exciting new opera company." Over the past ten seasons, Mr. Shaw has directed over 35 productions at POP, including The Rake’s Progress, Ariadne auf Naxos, La Calisto, Tosca: A Moving Production; and La Boheme: AKA “The Hipsters”. Mr. Shaw’s reimagining of Die Entführung aus dem Serail as an episode of Star Trek has gained national attention and has been produced with record-breaking numbers.

Since turning his attention to directing in 2011, Mr. Shaw has directed over 80 productions at companies including New Orleans Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Orlando, Intermountain Opera, Opera in the Heights, The Southern Illinois Music Festival, Opera Neo, Gulfshore Opera, Queen City Opera, and Salt Marsh Opera. Mr. Shaw's Barber of Seville at Opera Santa Barbara was described as "riotously funny" and "thoroughly amusing from overture to final bow." His work as a director has been described as "Brave and unflinching," "Ingenious," "Relentlessly and adorably rambunctious," "with enough good comic ideas for at least three productions." As a producer, he has been praised for his "supreme savvy" and "high level of production quality" with "the power to enthrall and captivate audiences."

Recent projects include US premieres of Gluck’s La Corona and Il Parnaso confuso, a new 2020 inspired English adaptation of Cosi fan tutte, a drive in Don Pasquale, and Bizet’s little-known Italian opera buffa, Don Procopio. In 2018 Mr. Shaw directed Tabasco: A Burlesque Opera, a newly rediscovered operetta by G. W. Chadwick, last performed in 1894, which was described as "delightful, packed with humor, and a feast for all the senses" by The New Orleans Advocate. In addition to directing the production, Mr. Shaw also wrote a new book and additional lyrics for the project that celebrated the McIlhenney Company’s 150th anniversary.

In addition to the rewrite of Tabasco and the new book and lyrics for Abduction from the Seraglio, Mr. Shaw has written several English version librettos including a Wild West setting of Die Lustige Witwe, a contemporary setting of Die Schauspieldirektor, a production of Die Zauberflöte set in the world of 1980s video games, and a groundbreaking production of Madama Butterfly sung in Japanese and English, a co-production of POP and Opera in Heights (Houston).

Hailed for her “deliciously over the top” and “powerful mezzo” by Opera News, Alissa Anderson wields her comic prowess, striking features, and her “powerful vocalism” to great acclaim. Ms. Anderson achieved a considerable success and was celebrated for being “impeccably prepared” and “splendid in every way” when she stepped in as Florence Pike in Santa Fe Opera’s Albert Herring under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. In the 2019/2020 season, Ms. Anderson will make her company and role debuts with Opera Philadelphia as Princess Clarissa in Prokofiev’s The Love of Three Oranges as well as both her role and European debuts as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with The Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. In the spring she returns to Opera Birmingham to sing the role of Madame de la Haltière in Massenet’s Cendrillion. The 2017-2018 season featured her debut with Opera Birmingham and Opera Louisiana in the title role of La tragédie de Carmen, her debut with Opera Delaware as Frugola/La Zia Principessa in Il trittico, and her debut with Utah Festival Opera as The Witch in Into the Woods. The 2018-2019 season includes Ms. Anderson’s return to San Diego Opera as Maddalena in Rigoletto, her debut with Opera San Antonio as Marthe in Faust, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Ms. Andrew/The Bird Woman in Mary Poppins in a return to Utah Festival Opera, and the starring role in the world premiere of the opera Debussy & Ravel: The Flowers of Evil with Mercury Chamber Orchestra at the Wortham Center in Houston, TX.

The 2016-2017 season saw her debut with San Diego Opera as Tisbe in La Cenerentola, a New Year’s Eve gala concert with Opera Southwest, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with North Carolina Opera, Verdi’s Requiem with the Houston Camerata, and La Zia Principessa/Ciesca in Il trittico with the Opera Company of Middlebury. Other recent performances for Ms. Anderson include La Zia Principessa/Zita in Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi with Opera Santa Barbara, Cleo in The Most Happy Fella with Tulsa Opera, Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress with Utah Opera, and her debut with Houston Grand Opera’s East + West series in River of Light by composer Jack Perla and librettist Chitra Divakaruni. In addition, she made, her “comically perfect” debut as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff with Opera in the Heights, Lampito in Lysistrata with Fort Worth Opera, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Santa Barbara, Emilia in Otello and Zulma in L’italiana in Algeri with Opera Southwest, Madame de la Haltiere in Cendrillion and the Mother in Hansel and Gretel with the Santa Fe Concert Association, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Opera in the Heights, and her return to Santa Fe Opera where she sang the Society Woman in The Last Savage. Recent concert engagements have included John Adams’ Grand Pianola Music with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Concordia University Symphony Orchestra, her European concert debut as mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with performances throughout Germany and France and her Lincoln Center debut as the mezzo soloist in Mahler’s 2nd Symphony.

At Sarasota Opera, Ms. Anderson performed the roles of Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, and Flora in La Traviata. As a resident and principal artist with Fort Worth Opera she performed the roles of Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, and the Angel Trio in Angels in America. Scott Cantrell of the Dallas Morning News praised her 2010 performance of Verdi’s Requiem with the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra stating, “Mezzo Alissa Anderson supplied aptly rich tones and an awesome chest voice.”

Other notable engagements include her Tisbe in La Cenerentola and Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance with Opera New Jersey, Flora in La Traviata and Mercedes in Carmen with Pensacola Opera, and Flora in La Traviata with Nevada Opera. As a young artist, she performed with the Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Ashlawn-Highland Opera, as well as spending three consecutive summers at the Seagle Music Colony where she sang the title role in Carmen, Anita in West Side Story, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alma March in Little Women, Woman in Marry Me A Little, and Hedy La Rue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Ms. Anderson holds her Master of Music in Opera Performance from The University of Maryland and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas.

The Princess / Suor Angelica

April 2016

Zita / Gianni Schicchi

April 2016

Marcellina / Le nozze di Figaro

March 2012

Flora / La traviata

March 2011 (debut)

Studio Artist

2011

Marlyn Bernard Bernstein +

. Theatre Company of Upland

Emily Langford Johnson

In a career that has spanned three decades, Stage Director, Mezzo-Soprano, and Voice Teacher, Layna Chianakas has portrayed over 50 leading opera roles across the United States, including over 80 performances of Carmen. Most recently, she was heard with Intermountain Opera, in the role Mme. Larina in Eugene Onegin and with Livermore Valley Opera as Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin. She returns to both companies this spring as Emilia in Verdi’s Otello, and Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

As an award-winning opera Stage Director, her most recent win was the 2021 American Prize for Opera Production for Livermore Valley Opera’s double-bill of Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy and Pucinni’s Gianni Schicchi and the National Opera Association third prize for Postcard from Morocco for the San José State Opera Theater. For Opera San José, she directed La Voix humaine, Hansel & Gretel, Carmen and Il barbiere di Siviglia. Other directing credits include, Le nozze di Figaro, Cavalli’s L’Ormindo, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges, Die Fledermaus, Orpheus in the Underworld, as well as a fully-staged version of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Rachel J. Peter’s Rootabaga Country marked her third production as the Stage Director for the Vivace Youth Chorus Summer Opera Workshop, which saw her productions of Menotti’s Chip and His Dog, and Krasa’s Brundibar. Opera Santa Barbara presented her Summer Youth Opera production of Ben Moore’s Odyssey, Jake Heggie’s At the Statue of Venus for Soprano Young Artist, Brooklyn Snow, and she returns again this October to stage their double-bill of Falla’s El amor brujo (with choreographer, Cecily MacDougall) and Puccini’s Il Tabarro.

In addition to a thriving private voice studio, Ms. Chianakas is Vocal Director of Musical Theater for Valley Christian High School Conservatory in San Jose, CA, where her credits include, Hello, Dolly!, Mary Poppins, Godspell, Found: A Musical Revue, and The Addams Family.

She lives in San Jose, CA with her husband, and two children; her greatest productions.

Last OSB Role: Stage Director for OSB’s Young Artist Showcase, At the Statue of Venus by Jake Heggie, Brooklyn Snow, Soprano

Upcoming Opera: Emilia, Otello, Livermore Valley Opera; Marcellina, Le nozze di Figaro, Intermountain Opera

Carmen / Carmen

Jan/Feb 2002 (debut)

Thorsteinn Arbjörnsson

Alexia Tillinghast-Trickett

Steven C. Kemp is a set designer for opera, theatre and events. Originally from Houston, Texas, he received his MFA from UC San Diego. He has designed for 30 opera companies and over 50 productions in NYC as well as for a multitude of regional theatres, cruise ships and international tours.

His design for Candide at Des Moines Metro Opera was recently nominated for the 2021 Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design.

For Opera San Jose his 20 designs include the acclaimed production of Idomeneo presented by the Packard Humanities Institute as well as the West Coast Premieres of Anna Karenina, Silent Night and the American premiere of Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella.

His opera designs have been presented at: LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Arizona Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Sarasota Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Omaha, Madison Opera, Kentucky Opera, Tulsa Opera, UrbanArias, Opera Grand Rapids, Merola Opera, Indiana University - Jacobs School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

His regional and international credits include designs at Pasadena Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Royal George Theatre, ReVision Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, Hudson Stage Company, Gulfshore Playhouse, Catholic University of America.

He has designed multiple productions for Norwegian Cruise Line, and numerous tours such as Baby Shark Live!, PJ Masks Live! Time to Be a Hero, Time to Save the Day, Dixie’s Tupperware Party and Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Steven also worked extensively as an Associate Designer for Robert Brill and David Gallo on Broadway, national tours, The Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Disney Theatricals, Dreamworks, and a multitude of other regional theatres and companies.

Additional work has included Associate Design credits for Jesse Poleshuck, Walt Spangler, Christopher Acebo, and Assistant Design for Alexander Dodge and exhibit design at Gallagher & Associates and Jack Morton Worldwide.

His opera design for Falstaff was selected as a finalist in the World Stage Design 2017 exhibit in Taipei, Taiwan.

His work was featured in the USA exhibit in the 2007 Prague Quadrennial and he was the 2008 USITT Rose Brand Scenic Design award winner.

Steven has presented lectures at many universities and was the 2013 Live Design Broadway Master Class speaker for associate set design. He specializes in 3D rendering, animation and previsualization.

Scenic Designer /
A Streetcar Named Desire

April 2015

Scenic Designer / Rigoletto

November 2014

Scenic Designer / Falstaff

March 2014 (debut)

A graduate of San Francisco’s prestigious Adler Fellow Opera Program, American tenor Daniel Montenegro is recognized for his flexible and distinctive voice and a varied repertoire of bel canto, verismo, and contemporary roles.

In 2015, Daniel made his Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and San Diego Opera debuts as Luis (a role he created) in El Pasado Nuca se Termina. Recent seasons include Giovanni (La Hija de Rappaccini) with Gotham Opera and his European opera debut at the Théâtre du Châtelet as Mario in Daniel Catán’s Il Postino along side Plácido Domingo, as well as a number of significant role and company debuts including Roderigo (Otello) with San Francisco Opera under Nicola Luisotti, Alfredo (La Traviata) with New Orleans Opera and Minnesota Opera, Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) with Washington National Opera, Pang (Turandot) at the Hollywood Bowl conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Pong (Turandot) with San Francisco Opera and Dallas Opera, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with Tulsa Opera and the Castleton Festival, and most recently, Mario in Il Postino with Opera Saratoga, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Arizona Opera, and Rafael in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna in his debut with Fort Worth Opera. The 2017-2018 season included a concert of excerpts from La bohème with the Quad City Symphony, Rafael in Cruzar la Cara de la Luna in his debut with both New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera, and his San Diego opera debut as Arcadio in Florencia en el Amazonas. The 2018-2019 season and beyond sees him as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Columbus, Alfredo in La Traviata with Arizona Opera, Luis in El Pasado Nuca se Termina with Fort Worth Opera, and making a return to San Francisco Opera.

Daniel features on ‘Great Voices Sing John Denver’ alongside Plácido Domingo and many other key operatic names; produced by legendary arranger and music producer Milt Okun, the disc was released on the MRI Associated label in June 2013.

Kristin Noelle Anderson

Hailed as a “rich voiced, expressive mezzo-soprano” by San Francisco Classical Voice, Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her New York City Opera debut with great success as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, conducted by George Manahan.

In the 2021-2022 season Nina Yoshida Nelsen makes her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Mama Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana. She also makes her Bard Opera debut singing Mother Chen in Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier, with performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center. She then returns to Opera Santa Barbara for a double bill of El Amor Brujo and Frugola in Il Tabarro. Nina makes her Chicago Opera Theater debut singing Queen Sophine in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus. In the spring, she sings mezzo solos in Boston Lyric Opera’s “Uplifting Asian Voices” concert and records Madama Butterfly with the company. She also will sing Mama in Jack Perla’s An American Dream at Kentucky Opera and the Alto Solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Rhode Island Philharmonic.

In the 2019-2020 season Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her Portland Opera debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She also performed the world premiere of Blood Moon at Prototype Festival in New York City. Nina returned to Chicago Lyric Opera to cover Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and gigs canceled due to Covid were the Santa Barbara Symphony performances Beethoven's Mass in C ?and the role of Khanh in Huang Ruo's Bound at The Juilliard School.

In the 2018-2019 season, Nina made her Lyric Opera Chicago debut as Mama in Jack Perla's An American Dream. She also reprised the same role at Anchorage Opera. Nina returned to Opera Santa Barbara as Tituba in The Crucible and also sang in their 25th Anniversary Gala concert.

Nina made an important debut at Utah Opera in March of 2009, singing Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. The mezzo-soprano is the recipient of a 2008 Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition. In 2006, Ms. Nelsen was a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a 2009 graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, where she studied with Bill Schuman. At AVA, her roles included: Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, Smeton in Anna Bolena, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Kabanicha in Katya Kabanova, Annina in La traviata, Larina in Eugene Onegin, and Erika in Vanessa.

Other noteworthy recent engagements include: Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette with Opera New Jersey, Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible with Utah Festival Opera, the title role in Carmen and the role of Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Komische Kammeroper of Munich, and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Santa Barbara.

Nina Yoshida Nelsen spent the 2004-2005 season as an Artist-In-Residence with Orange County Opera, where she performed the role of the Marquise de Berkenfeld in La fille du régiment in their educational outreach program. Ms. Nelsen made her debut with Opera Providence in 2002 as Tisbe in La cenerentola, and subsequently appeared with the company as Dorabella in their English version of Così fan tutte.

Other notable roles include Idamante in Idomeneo, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Lulu in Lukas Foss’The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, all of which she performed with the Opera Institute at Boston University.

In 2005, Ms. Nelsen was a National Finalist in the prestigious Loren L. Zachary Society Vocal Competition, and she was also a National Finalist in the 2006 and 2008 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. In 2004, Ms. Nelsen won first prize in the Performing Arts Foundation Vocal Competition, the Profant Foundation Vocal Competition and the Santa Barbara Foundation Vocal Competition.

Anthony Roth Costanzo

Ventura Limoncello Company

Brad Dalton

Yannis Adoniou

Rhoslyn Jones

Christopher Bengochea

Rosemary Wagner-Scott

William Christensen

Dauri Dennedy

Lori Phillips

Arthur Allen Seidelman

Britt Jewett- Studio 7

Palmina Winery

Tammy Coil

Jessica Medoff & Michael Bunchman

Husband and wife Michael Bunchman and Jessica Medoff are fast becoming one of the country's finest musical duos bridging the gap and blurring the lines between classical, music theater, art song and popular music. As co-creators of three original cabarets, the pair has delighted audiences coast to coast with their unique blend of genres and their undeniable musical chemistry. Both classically trained, the couple met while studying music at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

First Place Winner of the 2010 Shreveport Singer of the Year competition, Jessica defines the Renaissance woman in music throughout all genres; Critic Jon Sobel says "Jessica Medoff is perfectly spectacular - If she doesn't have a fan club, someone should start one." In addition to singing leading roles in Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Suor Angelica, Carmen, The Merry Widow, and the soprano solos in Verdi's Requiem, she has performed impressive turns in more adventurous repertoire including Judith in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle and the Governess in Britten's Turn of the Screw. On the musical theater stage she has been seen as Maria in The Sound of Music, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Nancy in Oliver! and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha.

Highlights of Michael's solo career include performances with the Ridgefield Symphony, the Antara Ensemble of New York City, the Aspen Music Festival chamber series, and the Breckenridge Music Festival. In addition to his solo career, Michael is an avid collaborator and is currently recording a disc of French mélodies with Metropolitan Opera flutist Harold Jones.

As a pair, Jessica and Michael continue to impress audiences throughout the United States with their style, charm and commitment to text and music. Says Jon Sobel, "One remarkable thing about [the duo] is the two performers' seamless connection; it's as if they can read each others' minds, piano and voice flowing together in perfect sympathy. This makes just about any song they perform something more than the sum of its parts."

Kristin Noelle Anderson

The Santa Barbara Children's Chorus

Lucas Benjaminh Krech

Bass-Baritone Colin Ramsey has been lauded for his “majestic, rotund, ravishing bass” (Opera Today). During the 20-21 season, Mr. Ramsey joined San Diego Opera as Colline in La bohème, as well as returning to Pacific Opera Project as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and the Festival Lyrique en Mar as Leporello in Don Giovanni (COVID19). Other recent engagements include returns to Opera Santa Barbara as Frère Laurent in Romèo et Juliette and the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, joining the Festival Lyrique en Mar as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the bass soloist in Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, and multiple productions of La bohème as Colline including Opera Idaho, Gulfshore Opera, and Opera Buffs Inc in Los Angeles. In upcoming seasons, Mr. Ramsey will return to Opera Santa Barbara as Fafner in Jonathan Dove’s arrangement of Das Rheingold, and San Diego Opera, singing The Speaker and 2^nd Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte (COVID19), Capulet in Romèo et Juliette, and Betto in Gianni Schicchi.

His 2018-19 season was an exciting one including a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for performances of John Cage’s Europeras directed by Yuval Sharon. Mr. Ramsey also made his San Diego Opera debut as Marullo in Rigoletto and in the spring of 2019, Mr. Ramsey returned to Opera Santa Barbara for an exciting and timely production of Robert Ward’s The Crucible singing the role of Reverend Hale.

Other recent performances have seen him in role and company debuts singing Le Comte des Grieux in Manon, The Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, and his Santa Fe Opera debut singing the Registrar in Madama Butterfly and covering Edward Teller in John Adam’s Dr. Atomic in a landmark production directed by Peter Sellars. Mr. Ramsey’s unique “smoky” timbre has been well lent to additional roles such as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Così fan Tutte, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Father Palmer in Silent Night, Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Seneca in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Mr. Kofner in Menotti’s The Consul, Il Frate in Verdi’s Don Carlo, Angelotti in Tosca, and Cadmus and Somnus in Handel’s Semele.

Zulimar López-Hernández

Virginia Opera/John Pascoe

Roger H. Davidson is Professor Emeritus of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Visiting Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. From 1980 to 1988 he held the post of Senior Specialist in American National Government and Public Administration with the Congressional Research Service, U.S. Library of Congress. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Fort Collins, CO, Dr. Davidson attended the University of Colorado and received his Ph.D from Columbia University. He began his teaching career at Dartmouth College, moving to the University of California, Santa Barbara (1968-1980), where he served as chairman of the political science department and associate dean of Letters and Science. He has been a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, American, and George Washington universities, and has lectured or conducted seminars on U.S. politics and policy making throughout this country and in Europe, South America, Africa, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and other South Pacific countries. In 2002 he was John Marshall Professor at the University of Debrecen, Hungary, awarded by the Hungarian Fulbright Commission. He was named Visiting Distinguished Political Scientist at Santa Barbara City College in 2005-2006. Dr. Davidson is listed in Who’s Who in America.

Dr. Davidson’s musical interests began early. In his youth he took piano lessons and sang in high school and university choirs. His passion for opera (and Broadway musicals) blossomed during his years in New York City as a graduate student at Columbia University—hearing legendary singers at the old (and new) Metropolitan Opera House. In Washington, DC, he subscribed to the Washington National Opera; he has attended many opera performances in the US and abroad.

Dr. Davidson is co-chair of the UCSB Affiliates, board member of the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, and a docent for both the Architectural Foundation and the Santa Barbara Historical Society. He and his wife Nancy subscribe to and support OSB, Santa Barbara Symphony, Camerata Pacifica, UCSB’s Arts and Lectures series, and CAMA. They are members of the Council of Contributors of the Music Academy of the West and especially follow their vocal music program. Dr. Davidson serves on MAW’s Advancement Committee.

Adam Richardson

Robert Watson

Efraín Solís

The San Francisco Chronicle exclaims, “For theatrical charisma and musical bravado, it would be hard to top the performance of baritone Efraín Solís.” He is a recent graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship and while with the company, sang his first performances of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La cenerentola, Schaunard in La bohème, Silvano in Un ballo in maschera, Sciarrone in Tosca, and Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly. In the 2020-21 season, he joins Opera San Jose and Florida Grand Opera as Charlie in Heggie’s Three Decembers and Utah Opera as Escamillo in La tragédie de Carmen. Future engagements include Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera San Jose and a return to Opera Southwest, originally scheduled for this season. Last season, he returned to Utah Opera as Lieutenant Audebert in Puts’ Silent Night and Virginia Opera as Di Cosimo in Catán’s Il postino in joining the Cincinnati Song Initiative for a program of songs by Granados and Turina. His debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as the Peasant in Schönberg’s Gurrelieder and return to the role of Schaunard in La bohème with Fort Worth Opera were unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

He joined Houston Grand Opera’s HGOCo, New York City Opera, and El Paso Opera as Mark in Martinez’s Cruzar la cara de la luna. Other recent performances for the baritone include Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette with Utah Opera, Opera Carolina, Virginia Opera, and Toledo Opera; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Memphis and Livermore Valley Opera; Slook in La cambiale di matrimonio with Nicholas McGegan conducting Philharmonia Baroque; El Payador in Piazzola’s Maria de Buenos Aires with Opera Southwest, Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande and Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox with West Edge Opera; Fiesque in Maria di Rohan with Washington Concert Opera, Gaspar in Rita with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and Dick in Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock with Opera Saratoga. He joined both Opera Delaware and Baltimore Concert Opera for concerts of opera favorites.

Mr. Solis sang his first performances of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Palo Alto Philharmonic and Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem as a guest artist at Concordia College. He joined the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra for Britten’s War Requiem and both Las Vegas Philharmonic and New Choral Society for Handel’s Messiah. An active recitalist, he has previous joined the New York Festival of Song for multiple programs of Spanish repertoire and has been presented in a Schwabacher Debut Recital in San Francisco and offered an additional recital program at the El Camino College Center for the Arts.

He is an alumnus of the prestigious Merola Opera Program in association with San Francisco Opera, at which he sang Junius in The Rape of Lucretia and covered Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro. He is also a former member of Opera Santa Barbara’s Studio Artist Program. In 2013, he was a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and sang arias from Rodelinda and Le nozze di Figaro on the famed company’s stage with Marco Armilianto conducting. He was also a finalist in Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Competition and the Loren L. Zachary Society for the Performing Arts National Vocal Competition. He holds a Master of Music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music, at which he sang Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and while at Chapman University, his performances included Beethoven’s Mass in C and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria.

Jennifer Panara

Julie Adams

Gregory Gerbrandt

Beverly O'Regan Thiele

Luis Alejandro Orozco

Lee Poulis is “virile and heroic in both appearance and vocalism” (Opera News) and has been praised for his “dark baritone, rich in color.” Twice named Best Young Singer by Die Welt, Mr. Poulis has performed at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden of Berlin, Teatro Real of Madrid, the Opera of Bilbao, and the Teatro Municipal of Santiago. He performed the title role in the national premieres of Doctor Atomic in Germany and at the Finnish National Opera. In the 2017-18 season, he appeared in Handel's Messiah with the Florida Orchestra, Carmina Burana with Long Beach Camerata, Bach's Mass in B Minor with the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, and Cantata #82, "Ich habe genug" with the Jacksonville Symphony. Career highlights include Zurga in Les Pêcheurs de perles with Fort Worth Opera and Sarasota Opera, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Dayton Opera and the Belleayre Festival Opera, Marcello in La bohème with Toledo Opera and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Valentin in Faust with Lyric Opera Baltimore and Theater Chemnitz (Germany), the title role of Don Giovanni with Sarasota Opera, and Heathcliff in Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights with Minnesota Opera. He was a member of the ensemble at Theater Bonn, where he performed roles including Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Pantalon in Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges, Germont in La traviata, Yeletsky in Pique Dame, Renato in Un ballo in maschera, and Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur. His frequent appearances at Washington National Opera include Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La Cenerentola, and Senator Raitcliffe in the world premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Democracy. He has also been on the roster of San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. He made his his Opera Santa Barbara debut as Ford in Falstaff in 2014. Mr. Poulis’ concert engagements include baritone soloist in Handel's Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and in the Mozart, Fauré, and Brahms Requiem settings with organizations such as the Masterworks Chorale, Kansas City Symphony, American Youth Symphony, Waltham Philharmonic, the Atlantic Union College and the Gemini Youth Orchestra. Mr. Poulis has also appeared in recital with the Marilyn Horne Foundation at Carnegie’s Weill Hall as well as in Washington D.C. with the Washington Vocal Arts Society. Lee Poulis won first prize in the 2008 Liederkranz Foundation Vocal Competition, the 2008 Francisco Viñas International Voice Competition, and the 2007 Chester Ludgin International Verdi Baritone Competition, as well as an Encouragement Award recipient in the 2008 George London Foundation Awards competition. He is an alumnus of Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, and Music Academy of the West. Mr. Poulis is a graduate of Harvard University.

Elliott Carlton Hines

Praised for her "brilliant lyric soprano" (San Diego Story), Rachel Blaustein is quickly gaining recognition for her riveting stage presence and innate musicality.

The 2019-2020 season proves to be an exciting year with many new debuts. This fall, Rachel joined Lyric Opera of Chicago's Lyric Unlimited, covering the role of Kenzie in their fall touring production of Earth to Kenzie. In February 2020, she appeared with Chicago Opera Theater in their workshop of Kamala Sankaram's Taking Up Serpents singing the roles of Save Mart Customer/Queer Kid/Holiness Congregation Member. In early March, she made her concert debut with the Bel Canto Chorus and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as the Soprano Soloist in Bach's Mass in B Minor. Upcoming, she will be a Semi-Finalist in the McCammon Voice Competition held in Fort Worth, TX in April 2020. To round out the 2020 season, Rachel will join the Glimmerglass Festival this summer singing Despina in Così?, (a 70-minute English adaptation of Cosi fan tutte) and will cover Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music.

The 2018-2019 season brought an exciting debut with Opera NEO where Rachel sang the role of Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. Active in competition, she won Second Place in The American Prize in Vocal Performance (Women in Opera), The Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Awards and was a Finalist and won an Encouragement Award from both the 2019 Central Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, as well as the Annapolis Opera Competition. Additionally, she won the Audience Choice Award in the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition, and was a Finalist in Opera Ithaca's Edward M. Murray International Competition of Voice.

In the 2017-2018 season, she was seen as a studio artist with Florentine Opera performing Papagena in The Magic Flute, Second Woman and Shepherdess in Dido and Aeneas/Venus and Adonis, and Sylviane in The Merry Widow.

In previous seasons, Rachel has been a young artist with Kentucky Opera, Opera NEO, Des Moines Metro Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Chautauqua Opera, and has appeared in concert with Fort Worth Opera. On the competition front, Rachel has previously won awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Partners for the Arts Vocal Competition, the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition, among others.

A native of Olney, Maryland, Rachel holds Bachelor's degree in Voice with a minor in drama from Hofstra University and a Master of Music from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.

Giannetta /
L'elisir d'amore

March 2016 (debut)

Mosher Studio Artist

2015–2016

Kostis Protopapas was named General Director of Opera Santa Barbara in December 2017, after two-and-a-half seasons as Artistic Director.

During his time as Artistic Director and principal conductor, Kostis brought a unified vision to OSB’s musical and production values, strengthening the orchestra and chorus, engaging some of the country’s most promising young directors and singers, building a high-performing production team, and increasing focus on contemporary American opera. As General Director Kostis assembled a team of enthusiastic overachievers with a passion for innovation and the desire to strengthen the company’s bond with the community, who consistently deliver programs and communications far greater than what can be expected from the size of the company.

Performance highlights from Kostis’ tenure include grand opera classics like Madama Butterfly, Manon, and Eugene Onegin as well as contemporary works like Daniel Catan’s Il Postino, the mariachi opera Cruzar la cara de la luna, and Robert Ward’s The Crucible, which the Santa Barbara Independent called “one of the season’s most exciting performances of any kind in Santa Barbara”.

During Kostis’ tenure Opera Santa Barbara saw the creation of the Santa Barbara Youth Opera, a program providing educational and performance opportunities for school-age children; the expansion of the company’s Chrisman Studio program which this season includes twelve artists from California; and an impressive growth in the company’s community engagement and educational activities throughout the Central Coast.

Between March 2020 and June 2021, under Kostis’ leadership Opera Santa Barbara remained active and fully staffed. It was the first performing arts organization in Santa Barbara to offer streaming programming, and one of only two opera companies in California to present three live operas in the 2020-21 season. Additionally, Opera Santa Barbara became an advocacy leader for the reopening of the performing arts, and funded live performances by local musicians through “Operation Eurydice”.

Before coming to Santa Barbara Kostis was the Artistic Director of Tulsa Opera since 2008. He previously was an Assistant Conductor with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Opera and Santa Fe Opera. At the Lyric Opera of Chicago, he also served as Assistant Chorus Master under Donald Palumbo for two seasons..

Born in Athens, Greece, Kostis Protopapas studied Archaeology and History of Art at the University of Athens before coming to the United States in 1993, on an Onassis Foundation scholarship, to study piano at The Boston Conservatory and conducting at Boston University. He became an American citizen in 2011. He loves living in Santa Barbara, and enjoys downtown restaurants, the Funk Zone’s tasting rooms, and sailing on the Santa Barbara Channel.

Tara Faircloth

Stage director Tara Faircloth’s work has been seen in opera houses around the nation. Critics hailed her Nozze di Figaro, claiming, “Faircloth made her Atlanta Opera debut this night with distinction, creating an unstoppable momentum of manipulation and misunderstandings. This production was so fresh that it had the ability to bridge yet another gap, entertaining the amateur and the opera aficionado alike” (Opera News). She directed two world premieres with the Houston Grand Opera's East+West series (The Bricklayer and Her Name Means The Sea) and has a thriving career in regional houses such as Wolf Trap Opera, Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera and Atlanta Opera (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, Die Zauberflöte, Hänsel & Gretel, etc.). The baroque repertoire is of special interest to Ms. Faircloth, who made her directorial debut with Ars Lyrica Houston’s production of Cain: Il primo omicidio in 2003, and has since designed and directed a number of shows for the company, including Charpentier's Actéon and La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers. She created productions of Dido & Aeneas for Ars Lyrica at the Festival di Musica Barroca in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and for Mercury Baroque in collaboration with the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater.

The 2018-19 season finds Ms. Faircloth working on several new productions (Il Re Pastore with Merola Opera, Agrippina with Ars Lyrica Houston, The Little Prince with Utah Opera, The Coronation of Poppea with Boston Baroque), and returning to some familiar favorites: Le Nozze di Figaro and Rigoletto (for Arizona Opera and Austin Opera, respectively). Following last year’s season, which included new productions of Gianni Schicchi, Pagliacci, and Loving Clara, a mixed media collaboration exploring the life and loves of Clara Schumann with Mercury Orchestra, Ms. Faircloth is clearly in demand as an interpreter for familiar works and those that are more obscure.

Ms. Faircloth has worked extensively on the directing staff of such companies as Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Central City Opera, and Dallas Opera, and as such, has worked on some of the most complicated operas in the repertoire, assisting international directors and preparing cover casts of some of the best performers in our industry. Passionate about dramatic training for young singers, she is the Drama Instructor for the Houston Grand Opera Studio, and has served as a guest coach at HGO's Young Artists’ Vocal Academy, Wolf Trap Opera Studio, Des Moines Metro Opera, University of Michigan, and Rice University. Her home is in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys restoring her 1935 Craftsman Bungalow.

Director / La rondine

April 2017 (debut)

Adam Diegel

Korean American tenor Adam Diegel regularly earns international acclaim for his impassioned dramatic sensibilities, powerful voice, and for his classic leading man looks. From a performance as Cavaradossi in Tosca at Glimmerglass Opera, Opera News raved: “The opera became a showdown between Adam Diegel’s impulsive, shaggily handsome Cavaradossi and Lester Lynch’s fearsome, animalistic Scarpia… (Diegel’s) spacious, Italianate tenor…delivered a stirring ‘Recondita armonia’ and built ‘E lucevan le stelle’ masterfully from hushed intimacy to an unfettered cri de coeur.”

This season Mr. Diegel will make his Boston Lyric Opera debut as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and will debut with Opera Columbus singing Cavaradossi in Tosca, as well as a gala concert with Knoxville Opera.

The 2020-2021 Adam Diegel returned to the Pensacola Opera for Don Jose in Carmen as well as making his role and company debut singing Manrico in Il Trovatore with Opera Tampa, as well as joining New York City Opera in their Bryant Park concert series and debuting with Victoria Hall Opera in their concert series.

In the 2017-18 season, Diegel reprised his critically acclaimed role as Cavardossi in Tosca with Palm Beach Opera and returns to The Metropolitan Opera in Norma and Madama Butterfly. Additionally, Diegel performed two of his signature roles throughout the world as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Opera Hong Kong and Palm Beach Opera and Don José in Carmen at San Francisco Opera, PORTopera, and Opera San Antonio. Additionally, Diegel sang the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlo with Lithuanian National Opera, Ruggerio in La Rondine with Opera Santa Barbara, Ismaele in Nabucco with The Metropolitan Opera, and the tenor solo in Verdi’s Requiem with Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Spokane Symphony.

Other international appearances have included: Don José in Carmen in a new production at Opera Australia’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour; Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Lithuanian National Opera, The Savonlinna Opera Festival, and on tour in China at the Guangzhous Opera House in Anthony Minghella’s acclaimed production; Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur at The National Theatre in Budapest, where he later performed Cavaradossi in Tosca; and David Alden’s new production of Luisa Miller for Opéra National de Lyon.

Ruggero / La rondine

April 2017 (debut)

Karin Wolverton

Crystal Manich

Crystal Manich is an Emmy Award nominated, versatile Latina international director whose works for stage and screen have been seen across the United States, Argentina, and Australia. She recently won Best First Time Female Filmmaker at the 2021 Toronto International Women Film Festival for her feature film The Copper Queen. She has also directed music videos for singer-songwriter Ivywild.

In Fall 2019, she directed the world premiere stage adaptation of Julia Alvarez’s Return to Sender by Marisela Orta for the Nashville Children’s Theatre about Mexican immigration and its complexities. It has been nominated for several Broadway World regional awards. She also directed the opera adaptation of the Spanish language opera Il Postino for Virginia Opera in a new production that will appear at several companies in the United States.

In January 2020 Crystal directed the musical Bernarda Alba, based on the Spanish play by Federico García Lorca, by Michael John LaChiusa for the Minneapolis company Theater Latté Da in a new production. Her spring season also includes a new Spanish adaptation of Cimarosa’s opera Il Matrimonio Segreto set in 1980’s Little Havana in Miami, as well as André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire in Virginia.

Crystal was nominated for a 2021 Chicago/Midwest Regional Emmy Award for Daniel Catán’s Spanish Opera La Hija de Rappaccini. Crystal directed and co-produced this multi-cam production with Chicago Opera Theater and Valhalla Media live from the Field Museum in April 2021.

In June 2022, Crystal will direct the world premiere of the opera Southern Crossings in New York City.

Crystal’s feature film debut for the world premiere opera The Copper Queen was produced by Arizona Opera in collaboration with Manley Films. She also collaborates with singer-songwriter Ivywild and has directed music videos for Willing to Find Out and Longing for You.

Crystal was recently awarded a commission for the new musical play La Llorona now in development with Theater Latté Da. Read about it in American Theatre Magazine.

Stage Director /
The Cunning Little Vixen

March 2017 (debut)

Stage director Octavio Cardenas captivates audiences with his visionary, visceral, and physical style of directing. Born in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico, Opera News has praised him for “an immersive theater experience” while the Dallas Morning News hailed him for bringing “every character and situation to life.” Recent projects include Puccini’s La bohème for Minnesota Opera, Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei for Des Moines Metro Opera, Die Fledermaus for Baylor Opera, and Florencia en el Amazonas for the Tulsa Opera YAP program. Upcoming projects see him direct the world premiere of Bless Me, Ultima for Opera Southwest, Turandot for Mississippi Opera, Falstaff for Intermountain Opera, The Tender Land for Des Moines Metro Opera, and La rondine for Minnesota Opera.

Mr. Cardenas’s recent productions of Silent Night for Fort Worth Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City were described as “a breathtaking realization” with “many brilliant touches.” The Kansas City Star called the Lyric Opera’s production “one of its finest performances in recent memory.” Other recent productions include Rappaccini’s Daughter for Des Moines Metro Opera, The Magic Flute for Opera Neo in San Diego, The Giver for Minnesota Opera, and As One for UrbanArias for which MD Theater Guide acclaimed “Under the direction of Octavio Cardenas, the two stars playfully make great use of both stage and energetic space—it seemed the theatre condensed and expanded with Hannah’s journey.”

As the former Director of Opera for Baylor University, Mr. Cardenas directed productions of L’elisir d’amore, The Turn of the Screw, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Rita. He currently serves as the Head of the Directing Staff at Des Moines Metro Opera and in addition to having been on the directing staff at Chautauqua Opera. He joined the Minnesota Opera Resident Artists Program for four consecutive seasons, working on all main stage productions and directing Andrew Sinclair’s production of Les pêcheurs de perles. Other directing credits include Susannah at Loyola Opera Theatre, which won the award for “Best College Production 2012” by the Gambit Magazine in New Orleans.

Mr. Cardenas received his Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from UCLA, a Master of Music from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Centenary College in Louisiana.